For those in need - Catholic Charities services are now offered twice each month in Gowanda. Pictured, from left, are: Patricia Kota, MSPL, RN, Healthy Community Alliance chief executive officer; Kathleen Neu, social worker in Gowanda for Catholic Charities; and Jon Anderson, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties director.
Catholic Charities, Healthy Community Alliance
partner to offer services in Gowanda
Catholic Charities of Buffalo and Healthy Community Alliance (HCA), a rural health network serving portions of Erie, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, are working together to bring Catholic Charities' services to Gowanda. Beginning this month, Catholic Charities is now offering basic family and individual emergency assistance on the second and third Tuesday each month at the HCA office, 26 Jamestown St., Gowanda.
Often, an emergency need is the first contact with Catholic Charities. Agency staff will evaluate and assist people who may go to Catholic Charities because they feel they have nowhere else to turn. Those seeking help may find it in the first phone call or visit, be referred to a Catholic Charities service or neighborhood office, or be linked with another community resource. When appropriate, the agency helps in emergencies with such basic needs as financial, food, prescription, housing and heat. For assistance in Gowanda, please call 716-532-9272.
"We are pleased to be able to serve the people of Gowanda, thanks to the generosity of the HCA staff and the Gernatt Family of Companies," said Jon Anderson, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties director. "We trust the community will find that the skill and compassion of our staff matches the excellent reputation our organization has gained in other Western New York towns and cities."
"Our organization is about improving quality of life, and we often achieve that through partnerships," said Patricia Kota, MSPL, RN, HCA chief executive officer. "Through this partnership, we are able to expand the kind of services available in our community. We are grateful to be able to do that with Catholic Charities."
"This new collaboration helps us to fulfill our mission to strive to empower individuals, children and families to achieve and maintain meaningful lives in their communities and we are grateful for the opportunity," Rev. Joseph J. Sicari, Catholic Charities director and president, said.
Catholic Charities also serves neighboring communities with offices in Dunkirk, Olean, Salamanca and Springville.
The Healthy Community Alliance was chartered in 1996 as a non-profit corporation built upon the philosophies of the Healthcare Forum. It operates with ongoing assistance from the New York State Department of Health. HCA's service area includes 100,000 residents; portions of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Wyoming counties, 16 school districts, and 56 communities along the Route 39 corridor from Bliss to Forestville.
HCA also serves as a site for enrolling people in Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and Healthy New York.
Catholic Charities is the single largest direct human service provider in Western New York, reaching all eight counties with 65 locations. Founded in 1923 as the human service arm of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Catholic Charities also provides, without regard to religious affiliation, comprehensive counseling services for children and families, anti-domestic violence programming and emergency services, among other social and mental health services.