December 10, 2014
SANTA CRUZ Two local nonprofits providing health care have each been awarded $250,000 to expand and improve mental health services, which means they will be hiring therapists.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is providing the funding to Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, which operates the East Cliff Family Health Center and the Santa Cruz Women’s Health Center downtown, and to Salud Para La Gente, which operates community clinics in the Beach Flats area of Santa Cruz and in the city of Watsonville. Both clinics offer some evening hours.
“For us it’s primarily to add staff and build our program so we can provide more behavioral health services to more patients,” said Leslie Conner, executive director of Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, citing new models like group visits and increased case management. “The mind and body are connected. There are tremendous opportunities right now to serve more people in better ways.”
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