SAYRE, PA (WIVT/WBGH) – Two local mental health programs have been awarded $10,000 from Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant Program in order to improve mental health care in the area.

Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca was awarded $5,000 in support of its clinical internship program which works to provide mental health interns with high quality support, education, and hands on learning experiences. The program aims to bring new providers to the area in order to improve mental health access for the community. In 2022, Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca served 1,289 people.

The Potter’s Hands Foundation in Corning was also awarded $5,000 to support women who have survived sex trafficking through its mental health coaching program. The program provides survivors with physical, emotional, and spiritual healing to help them learn necessary skills for self-reliance in order to reintegrate them back into society. The Foundation is home to the only 12-month residential, treatment-specific facility for sex trafficked survivors in the Southern Tier and Western New York.

The grants were awarded as part of Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant Program. The program works to fund projects based on Guthrie’s Community Health Needs Assessment. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires non-profit hospitals to complete a community needs assessment every three years. The areas of need identified for 2020 to 2023 were obesity, access to mental health providers, and cancer incidence with a focus on tobacco usage.

The Community Benefit Committee continues to seek opportunities to support local nonprofits addressing mental health needs. To learn more about Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant Program, visit guthrie.org.