"The Foundation's Grant gives us hope that more leaders in the field will recognize the need for all of us to come to the table in developing treatment models that are effective and accessible for not just those with privilege, but all those suffering and in need of transformative care."
OAKLAND, Calif. (PRWEB) September 14, 2021
In solidarity with Minority Mental Health month, the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation has committed a generous $200,000 in support of Sage Institute for Psychedelic Therapy in Oakland, California. Sage is a nonprofit sliding-scale training clinic and future research institute committed to serving marginalized communities and training the next generation of diverse clinicians and leaders in the field of psychedelic medicine. Sage provides accessible psychedelic therapy to underserved populations. The majority of clients at Sage Institute identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color, queer, transgender and/or gender nonconforming, and are low income and underinsured.
As one of the nation’s leading foundations dedicated to supporting underserved communities, the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation’s contribution underscores Sage’s position as a pioneering organization conducting essential work in the emerging field of psychedelic therapy. With cities and states around the country beginning to adopt decriminalization policies, as well as psilocybin and MDMA receiving breakthrough status with the Federal and Drug Administration, Sage represents a much-needed incubator for developing best-in-class treatment with these emerging modalities. Executive Director Dr. Genesee Herzberg says “the Foundation’s grant not only gives us a much needed leg up to continue expanding and refining our capacity to serve, but also gives us hope that more leaders in the field will recognize the need for all of us to come to the table in developing treatment models that are effective and accessible for not just those with privilege, but all those suffering and in need of transformative care.”
In alignment with its track record of being a leader in health equity, the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation’s generous contribution goes well beyond the meaningful impact of supporting Sage Institute, now entering its third year of operations, in developing and building capacity for its cutting-edge training program, and tailoring emerging treatments like ketamine-assisted therapy to serve communities underrepresented in healthcare. Thanks to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation grant, Sage Institute is one step closer to offering its innovative model as a template to support the build out of accessible psychedelic clinics nationwide. Sage Institute board chair Kat Conour shared that “it is wonderful to see foundations stepping up to fill in the gap before third party payers are put in place to make psychedelic therapy more accessible to all who could benefit.”
About the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is committed to inspiring philanthropy and community service by creating awareness, offering guidance, and leading by example to show the world what giving can do. The Foundation’s grants support nonprofit organizations based in the United States that either help people in need or solve complex problems. The Foundation also spearheads grassroots campaigns to encourage others to give.
About Sage Institute
Sage Institute is a sliding scale clinic that offers psychotherapy and psychedelic-assisted therapy (as it becomes legal) to underserved communities in the Bay Area. Our priority is to offer high quality, accessible and culturally-sensitive services to individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and lived experiences. We are a training clinic, providing rigorous educational programming in depth-oriented psychedelic-assisted therapy through a community-focused, social justice, and trauma-informed lens. We place an emphasis on training clinicians who reflect the diverse identities of the communities that we serve.