SAN FERNANDO, CA, June 8, 2020 –El Centro de Amistad (ECDA), a San Fernando mental health agency, received a $150,000 grant from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, whose institutional mission has long encompassed improving the health status of the community, both through their patient care and their philanthropic support to their community partners.
ECDA is committed to increasing the number of clients it serves, their engagement and the services it provides. The grant will support the agency’s ability to serve marginalized clients by purchasing the technology they need to implement video therapy sessions for clients who may have difficulty coming to one of their sites. This will include purchasing additional technology, consulting with IT companies, and training their interns on how to most effectively utilize technology to serve clients.
“With support from Cedars-Sinai, we will be able to increase the accessibility of high-quality mental health care for clients who face barriers to attending on site sessions consistently,” said Tamika Farr, ECDA executive director. “Grants like these help us to empower underserviced youth and families to become self-sufficient and create supportive, family environments in the San Fernando Valley.”
This grant aims to targets low-income adults ages 18 to 64 in the San Fernando valley most likely to experience difficulty in accessing mental health services, such as Spanish-speaking clients, severely and persistently mentally ill adults, and low-income uninsured and/or undocumented adults. In addition, potential participants may have mental health and medical issues that are barriers to attending treatment sessions consistently, or they may feel afraid to come to one of our primary sites. “With the support of this grant, we will serve an additional 160 people with high quality mental health services and case management,” said Farr.
Throughout its 43 years in this community, El Centro de Amistad has served more than 110,000 individuals, empowering the lives of children, families, and individuals for a better tomorrow. With support from its multilingual and cross-cultural staff, they serve 1,500 children, adults, and families annually. The agency’s goals are to reduce risk factors that lead to violence, school failure, gang affiliation, and child abuse. When treating adults, the goals are to curb debilitating behaviors, assist in enhancing self-sufficiency, and resolve issues that are barriers to employment.
