Congratulations are in order for our borrower, Norooz Clinic Foundation, for successfully repaying their bridge loan furthering their vision to remove barriers of access to mental health in Southern California!
The Norooz Clinic Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides affordable and accessible mental health services to underserved clients in Southern California. The Norooz Clinic Foundation focuses on building and maintaining healthy relationships by identifying common struggles and providing new ways to approach them with success.
In November 2023, they were in need of financing for working capital to bridge to funding from government contracts. Then in May 2024, they successfully repaid their bridge loan.
This loan will enable Norooz Clinic Foundation to provide mental and behavioral health services to the community without interruption. Mental health services are in high demand, and there is often a shortage of available resources and long wait times. It is critical that Norooz remain open as a closure would add to this strain and could have a ripple effect, affecting not only individual clients but also their families, support networks, and the overall community’s mental health. This will make it even harder for vulnerable individuals to access the care they need.
Additionally, closing the clinic would disrupt the continuity of care for existing clients. Consistency in mental health treatment is essential for managing and improving mental health conditions. Discontinuation of services could lead to worsened mental health outcomes for these individuals.
Accessibility: The Norooz Clinic is dedicated to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to anyone who may face barriers to accessing mental health care elsewhere.
– Services are provided in-person and via Telehealth in 4 different languages: English, Farsi, Spanish, and Tagalog.
– Clients are placed with a therapist within 24-48 hours, cutting down long wait time and barriers to seeking a mental health professional.
– A plethora of services are offered including: individual, couples and family therapy, EMDR for trauma, virtual reality therapy, psychological assessments, intensive outpatient program, and peer support groups.
Affordability: Mental health services are often times prohibitively costly and accessible primarily to individuals with the financial means to afford them. At the Norooz Clinic, cost is minimized through the utilization of practicum interns who deliver top-notch client services.
– These interns undergo rigorous training on a weekly basis.
– Since 2012, over 20,000 affordable therapy sessions have been provided to more than 3,000 clients.
– Services are offered on a sliding scale, pro-bono, and insurance.
Vulnerable Populations: Services are provided to anyone ages 5 and up. Many of the clinic’s clients belong to vulnerable populations, such as those with limited financial resources, people from marginalized communities, and individuals without health insurance. These individuals often rely on the clinic as their primary source of mental health support.
Community Impact: The Norooz Clinic’s motto is a “Stigma-Free World”, our goal is to reduce mental health stigmas in our communities and aim to foster open and constructive dialogues about mental health within our communities.
– Actively engage in community-based mental health advocacy efforts by hosting and participating in free community resource events and webinars.
– The Outreach Team organizes and participates in events; they engage and educate more than 900 community members each month.
Training and Workforce Development: At the Norooz Clinic, training and workforce development are prioritized with three distinct programs: Clinical Practicum Internship, Non-Clinical Graduate Internship, and Undergraduate Internship. The aim is to provide high-quality training experiences that empower the next generation of mental health professionals and advocates. Through these programs, we ensure that interns receive rigorous training and mentorship, contributing to the overall excellence of mental health services in our community.
