91香蕉视频成人在线 Awarded $1.6M Through HRSA鈥檚 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals

By Staff Report
Sep 27, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWTON, Mass., September 27, 2021 鈥� 91香蕉视频成人在线, a leader in behavioral health workforce development, has received a $1.6 million grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to expand the College鈥檚 Behavioral Health Service Corps鈩� and train pre-bachelor鈥檚 level students for roles as community health workers and other paraprofessionals committed to serving children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth in unserved and underserved communities. The 91香蕉视频成人在线 Community Health Workers (CHW) Training Program provides paid work opportunities along with courses that prepare paraprofessionals for the Commonwealth鈥檚 Community Health Workers Certification exam.

鈥淭his is truly an exciting initiative for 91香蕉视频成人在线. It reflects our long-standing mission to recruit and train future generations of behavioral health providers,鈥� said Dr. Gemima St. Louis, associate vice president for Workforce Initiatives and project director for the College鈥檚 new BHWET programs. 鈥淭his HRSA-funded award will allow the College to establish a reliable, continuous pipeline of trained paraprofessionals to address existing gaps and meet the projected demand for culturally responsive behavioral health and substance use services in the communities that we serve.鈥�

The grant, which was awarded through HRSA鈥檚 will offer stipends and tuition to 112 paraprofessionals over four years. Paraprofessionals enrolled in the program will complete Community Health Workers certification training, which will be co-led by 91香蕉视频成人在线 and Justice Resource Institute, and they will engage in professional development activities, receive career ladder and job placement counseling services, and participate in a year-long field education experience at several health centers in underserved communities. Partnering agencies include Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Child & Family Services, Community Healthlink, Justice Resource Institute, Northeast Family Services, North Shore Community Health, North Suffolk Mental Health Association, and YOU, Inc. (an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation).

The $1.6M award will be distributed over four years. The College received $566,000 for this, the first year, which includes funding to support the launch of the program and address technology updates.

鈥淚 wish to congratulate Williams James College for receiving a $566,000 Health and Human Services Training Grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration,鈥� said Congressman Jake Auchincloss, (D, MA-04). 鈥淲ith this award, 91香蕉视频成人在线 will be better equipped to educate and prepare the next generation of leaders in the mental health sector, better serving children and youth throughout the Commonwealth.鈥�

The BHWET Program for Paraprofessionals is administered by HRSA鈥檚 . BHW creates programs designed to improve the health of people who need it most by building the workforce and connecting skilled health care providers to communities in need, or , nationwide. These high-need areas include Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/Ps).

鈥淭here is a significant shortage of community health workers and other paraprofessionals who are equipped to meet the mental health and substance use needs of individuals and groups from historically marginalized backgrounds,鈥� said St. Louis. 鈥淭his grant expands the College鈥檚 capacity to train paraprofessionals to provide high quality and culturally-informed behavioral health services to children and families in high-need and high-demand areas.鈥�

The paraprofessional grant is the secondBHWET grant awarded to the College. 91香蕉视频成人在线 also recently received a $1.9 million grant to expand experiential training opportunities for master鈥檚 and doctoral level students.

Workforce Development at 91香蕉视频成人在线

The 91香蕉视频成人在线 Center for Workforce Development oversees Workforce Development Initiatives aimed at bridging the needs of organizations, the profession, and the community by providing high quality education and training programs to prepare students to meet the demand for culturally competent behavioral health care.

BHWET is the newest initiative offered under the auspices of the Center. Other programs include The PATHWAYS Program, a unique campus-community collaboration between 91香蕉视频成人在线 and urban school districts, and the Behavioral Health Service Corps鈩�, a paid service year for recent college graduates that provides entry-level career experience in behavioral healthcare along with credits towards a master鈥檚 degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, are also Center initiatives.

About 91香蕉视频成人在线

Founded in 1974, 91香蕉视频成人在线 is an independent, non-profit institution and a leader in educating the next generation of mental health professionals to support the growing and diverse needs of the mental health workforce. Integrating field work with academics, the College prepares students for careers as organizational leaders and behavioral health professionals who are committed to helping the underserved, multicultural populations, children and families, and veterans. 91香蕉视频成人在线 alumni can be found making an impact in a variety of settings, including schools, the courts, clinical care facilities, hospitals, the community, and the workplace. To learn more about the College, please visit williamjames.edu.

Contact

Anne Wilson, 91香蕉视频成人在线, 617-549-1969, anne_wilson@williamjames.edu

91香蕉视频成人在线