February 20, 2026
St. John’s University has again been awarded a grant from the nonprofit Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to support the St. John’s Center for Psychological Services, located in the Seton Complex along Union Turnpike in Flushing, NY.
The grant of $208,060, announced in January, enhances counseling services for Spanish-speaking clients of the community-based mental health facility located a mile west of the St. John’s campus in Queens, NY. It also supports efforts on behalf of the center’s Mandarin-speaking clients, while maintaining cultural training programs for students and faculty and identifying barriers to clinical engagement.
The 2026 grant follows a $200,000 grant from the foundation a year ago that enabled the center to hire a state-licensed psychologist and doctoral fellows to serve Spanish-speaking clients.
“Cultural sensitivity, diversity among health-care staff, and language access are essential to providing high-quality mental-health care,” said Tara Rooney, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Psychological Services. “The need to expand the center’s services to better support the Queens community has never been more urgent.”
Established in 1986, the center provides mental-health services to area residents at modest cost. Services are free for military members and their immediate families.
Center services, including individual therapy and psychological testing sessions, are provided by St. John’s students in the University’s Clinical Psychology and School Psychology doctoral programs under the supervision of licensed faculty.
According to Dr. Rooney, the center receives regular treatment inquiries from individuals who are not primarily English speaking. “Culturally and linguistically informed treatment is critical to meeting these needs,” she said. “This grant renewal allows us to continue our efforts to meet the needs of the community and aligns with our Vincentian mission. This renewal ensures this good work can continue to support the mental-health needs of our community.”
“We are excited about this continued partnership with the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and hope to continue this expansion for years to come,” Dr. Rooney added.
Nearly all of the center’s clients come from nearby communities, and almost 60 percent report household incomes of less than $30,000. Nearly 60 percent of the center’s patients are children. St. John’s graduate students gain essential training hours, while clients benefit from the center’s flexible fees and scheduling.
“As a St. John’s graduate, I am proud of this grant, which reflects our shared commitment to Catholic Social Teaching and service to New York’s immigrant communities,” said Michael Venditto ’75SJC, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation General Counsel. “Expanding St. John’s Center for Psychological Services to offer multilingual care removes real barriers to mental-health access and affirms a simple truth—dignity begins with the ability to be understood. This investment puts our shared values into action, delivering lasting, community-centered impact for those too often left behind.”
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, named for Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the largest health care-based charitable foundation in New York State. It provides grants to improve the health-care outcomes of vulnerable New Yorkers, including those from diverse communities, and to bridge gaps in health-care services and other barriers to care.
Mother Cabrini died in 1917, and in 1946 became the first American to be recognized by the Vatican as a saint. The 2024 film Cabrini chronicled her work with New York City’s underprivileged.
Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo ’83J.D., Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Chief Executive Officer, recognized the challenging environment in which health-care nonprofits are currently operating. “Our grantee partners are navigating an incredibly challenging landscape, and yet their commitment to serving their communities continues to deepen,” Msgr. Mustaciuolo said. “These grants demonstrate our resolve to stand with them by addressing urgent needs today, while strengthening the systems and workforce that will support New Yorkers’ health for years to come.”