FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2023
Contact: Santino R. Thomas
(518) 949-4809 | [email protected]
A recently awarded grant ensures continued services by Pathways to Health program.
ALBANY, N.Y. – Recently, St. Catherine’s Center for Children was awarded a $5,000 grant – by the Make Sense Foundation – to support the agency’s Pathways to Health program. This grant is presented to nonprofit organizations whose mission aligns with the mission of MSF: to help children and women in need.
These funds allow for the continuation of St. Catherine’s direct outreach and engagement in the community, including the Pathways to Health “Care-A-Van,” a mobile unit that allows the team to set up on the street, in parking lots and anywhere else that is needed to meet with individuals and families in crisis. Additionally, this grant sustains the Care-A-Van’s on-the-spot healthcare resources, which includes access to tele-health and telemedicine benefits, appointment scheduling, and transportation, as well as providing food, household essentials, and hygiene supplies.
“Pathways to Health meets individuals and families out in the community to provide services before their situation turns critical.” said Michele Puleo O’Hare, executive director of the Foundation of St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “Wherever there is a need, the Pathways team is there to aid members of our community and improve their situation before it escalates to a crisis.”
For four years, the presence of the Pathways to Health program has been felt in the local community. Thanks to its partnership with the Albany Police Department, program staff was once alerted to an individual sleeping on a park bench, during sub-zero temperatures. The Pathways team placed the individual in a hotel for the weekend while they connected him with a primary care physician to resume needed medication. From there, St. Catherine’s Project HOST program was able to help the individual secure an apartment where he has remained permanently housed and is now thriving. Project HOST houses and provides case management to the unhoused and unstably housed individuals. It serves frequent users of crisis services, including those who struggle with severe mental health, substance abuse or chronic illness.
That is just one example of Pathways’ impact. It identifies hundreds of individuals, each year, through outreach efforts and connects them with vital health services, including mental health and behavioral services, substance abuse treatment and access to telemedicine. The program also aids with food and housing insecurity issues. With the Care-A-Van, the program is currently serving Albany, Columbia, Greene, and Rensselaer counties.
“This funding ensures the consistent and timely delivery of services, which is especially important in a program such as Pathways,” added Louisa Marra, associate executive director of St. Catherine’s Homeless Programs. “We are grateful to Carol Kott for referring St. Catherine’s Center for Children to receive this grant.”
The Make Sense Foundation® was created by Joni Rogers Kante in 2002 as part of her overall plan to give back to the community. The Make Sense Foundation® does so, nationwide, by directly supporting women and children in need by partnering with a variety of charitable initiatives. This year, MSF is proud to support St. Catherine’s Center for Children which embodies the MSF mission and values as a beacon of hope and support for those facing challenging circumstances.
The willingness of St. Catherine’s Center for Children to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support human service needs, throughout the region, by providing a comprehensive range of services designed to offer hope, foster growth and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.
For more information, http://www.st-cath.org.
