Ithaca nonprofit to use Guthrie program grant funding for clinical-internship program

ITHACA, N.Y. — Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca will use a grant of $5,000 for its clinical-internship program.

The program provides mental-health interns with high-quality education, hands-on learning, and support.

The funding comes from Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant program. It was one of two $5,000 grants awarded to two initiatives that focus on improving mental-health care in the Guthrie Clinic service area.

The goal of the Family & Children’s Service program is to bring new providers to the area and improve mental-health care access for the community. The Ithaca organization served 1,289 people in 2022, per a Guthrie news release.

The Guthrie grant program also awarded $5,000 to the Potter’s Hands Foundation in Corning in support of its mental-health coaching program, which supports women who have survived sex trafficking.

Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant program funds projects based on Guthrie’s Community Health Needs Assessment. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires nonprofit hospitals to complete a community needs assessment (CHNA) every three years.

Obesity, access to mental-health providers, and cancer incidence with a focus on tobacco usage were identified as areas of need for the time period between 2020 and 2023.

The Community Benefit Committee continues to seek opportunities to support local nonprofits addressing mental-health needs, Guthrie said.