Certain areas of West Virginia may soon see an increase in behavioral health providers.
Over $850,000 has been awarded to Marshall University to help boost the number of behavioral health providers in underserved and rural areas of the state.
The grant comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration for the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program – an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The money will be distributed in chunks of about $200,000 annually over the next four years.
The program will help fund clinical internships and placements for students in programs like a Masters in Psychology with Clinical and School emphasis or a Masters in Counseling.
It will provide opportunities to train students in an integrated health care model and include seminars covering a variety of topics like responding to substance use disorders in primary care or trauma-informed care and trauma-focused interventions.