Mother Cabrini grants go to Buffalo-area groups for mental health, workforce and dental care initiatives

It’s that time of year again: The New York-based Mother Cabrini Health Foundation — New York’s largest foundation focused exclusively on health care — just announced its year-end grants to nonprofits across New York.

In Western New York, 41 Buffalo-area programs are allocating nearly $14.3 million to address a variety of pressing community and health needs. That’s a 35% increase from last year, when 35 grants totaling $10.6 million were awarded to Buffalo-area groups by Mother Cabrini.

And local organizations that received funding are looking at projects in a wide range of community health needs, including mental health, workforce training and access to dental care.

Several local organizations received grants geared toward improving access to mental health care, which is a hot topic that was a major focus in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent State of the State address and the topic that recently brought up Attorney General Letitia James in Buffalo to a listening public.

That included $800,000 for a “school-based social work program” from Western New York Mental Health Advocates, which provides non-clinical services that promote mental wellness and also offers help navigating the mental health system.

In addition, BestSelf Behavioral Health won $650,000 for a project described as “continuing the integration of primary and behavioral health care.”

WNY Heroes received $225,000 for mental health support for Western New York veterans.

The ECMC Foundation received $150,000 for the continued operation of “innovative outpatient behavioral health programs.”

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center – one of the last independent hospitals in Western New York – received $100,000 for its Guardian Angels initiative, which aims to provide a high level of care and support to the most vulnerable mental health patients . When it launched as a new initiative a year ago, Guardian Angels also received $100,000 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

And D’Youville University received $90,000 for a project about integrating mental and behavioral health support within primary care at the Health Professions Center.

Training the health care workforce

Another hot topic in the healthcare industry: Recruiting and retaining workers.

Among the local groups receiving Mother Cabrini grants to be used for workforce training: Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, which received $200,000 to support its graduate nurse residency program.

In a news release, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo said its graduate nurse residency program aims to alleviate the effect of the nursing staffing crisis by providing intensive, patient-directed, hands-on training for newly licensed nursing professionals. .

“We want to hire nurses fresh out of school, give them time to develop the skills that can only be gained with time and experience, but without the pressure of being ‘on your own’ right out of the gate,” Kelley Clem said. . , vice president of education of the organization. “This one-on-one mentorship allows them to appreciate the specialty of hospice and palliative care nursing and validates the reasons they became nurses in the first place. We are extremely grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for their financial commitment to support this important program.”

With the next semester of the graduate nurse residency program beginning in March, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo said they are currently accepting online applications.

Other local organizations that received Mother Cabrini grants to train health care workers include:

• Niagara University received $300,000 for a project to “support a resilient, inclusive and equitable nursing workforce.”
• Neighborhood Health Center of WNY Inc. won $300,000 for a “nursing pathways” program.
• Niagara Falls Housing Authority received $275,000 for health care workforce training. (The Housing Authority has done training programs in the past, such as its efforts to train certified nursing assistants.)
• Harvest House of South Buffalo Inc. won $230,000 for a workforce development project called: “Women’s Economic Mobility Pathway to Careers in Health Care.”

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation has regularly supported the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.

This continued in the most recent round of grants.

The foundation sent a $550,000 grant to UB’s S-Miles To Go program, which uses two mobile dental clinics — each equipped with an X-ray unit and sterilization center — to provide free dental care to underserved populations, such as the homeless and the uninsured. or uninsured.

And while it’s based in Buffalo, the Buffalo Community Health Center also won $250,000 for a project geared toward “improving the oral health of vulnerable individuals in Lockport.”

And in Chautauqua County, Chautauqua Center Inc. was awarded $250,000 for her safety dental surgeries.

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you togetherBuffalo Niagara’s version of the changing economy – from real estate to healthcare to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

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The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips for buffalonext@buffnews.com or contact Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

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