PORTLAND, Ore. — The Regence Foundation recently announced a $30,000 grant to Community Services Northwest to hire a volunteer coordinator for its Wellness Project. The Wellness Project is the only free mental health clinic in the Northwest, and one of the few in the nation.

“The Regence Foundation believes that access to both affordable physical and mental health care is the basis for a healthy community,” said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation board chair. “People with mental health challenges, however, often fall through the cracks and it’s important that we come together to support nonprofits working to build a mental health care safety net.”

All mental health services at the Wellness Project are donated by professional counselors from the community and by graduate student interns. Hiring a volunteer coordinator to recruit, train and supervise volunteer counselors will ultimately help the Wellness Project increase the number of clients it serves. The Wellness Project has many people on its waiting list, all of whom are uninsured and most of whom fall below the federal poverty guidelines.

“The Regence Foundation is committed to supporting the work of nonprofits tackling some of the root causes of our broken health care system,” said Monique Barton, Regence Foundation executive director. “We applaud Community Services Northwest for addressing what is a very significant unmet need in Clark County and the greater Northwest.”

This grant was paid through The Regence Fund at The Oregon Community Foundation.