Strengthening the Pipeline
The Healey-Driscoll administration recently issued $12.4 million through the Behavioral Health Trust Fund to 37 colleges and universities to financially support behavioral-health students completing unpaid internships and field placements.
These grants are for undergraduate and graduate-level students pursuing careers treating mental-health or substance-use disorders, and are part of the state’s efforts to grow a culturally and linguistically diverse behavioral-health workforce in Massachusetts.
“Massachusetts needs more qualified behavioral-health professionals, and our administration is committed to supporting students eager to do this work,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “By investing in students looking to treat those experiencing mental-health and substance-use challenges, we’re investing in the long-term health and wellness of communities across Massachusetts.”
Many behavioral-health degree and certificate programs require workplace-based internships, apprenticeships, or practicum credit hours as a condition for program completion. Required field placements play a central role in helping students prepare to serve as behavioral-health practitioners, but these experiences are often unpaid and often require students to sacrifice paid work. To support students pursing these careers, the funding is going to colleges with behavioral-health degrees that require field placements, with a focus on institutions in geographic areas that are priorities for advancing health equity.
“By lifting financial barriers for students pursuing behavioral-health degrees, we are encouraging a more diverse student body to enter this field, which helps us create a more diverse workforce to meet the needs of residents from various backgrounds.”
“By lifting financial barriers for students pursuing behavioral-health degrees, we are encouraging a more diverse student body to enter this field, which helps us create a more diverse workforce to meet the needs of residents from various backgrounds,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said. “We’re proud to launch a program that helps those looking to help others.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh added that “a good internship or field placement can teach a person much-needed skills and help them gain experiences that last long into that individual’s career. I am grateful this funding gives us the chance to support people financially, which not only helps build a more diverse workforce, but also ensures people reach the right behavioral-health services when and where they need it. Building a stronger workforce that does not have to worry about financial limitations means we can help every person and community throughout Massachusetts get the care they need and in a way that truly makes a difference.”
The behavioral-health internship funds are being issued to campuses as grants to be distributed to qualifying students over a two-year period and can be applied to internships being completed in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. Students at the awarded institutions who may be eligible for the funding should speak with their program advisor and financial-aid office.
“Internships help behavioral-health graduates prepare to serve community members on day one, and these funds will lessen the financial burden of completing these essential learning experiences,” Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega said. “The more we make entering the behavioral-health workforce possible, the more we can create a pipeline of talented professionals prepared to serve residents across the Commonwealth.”
Statewide Impact
The Behavioral Health Trust Fund was established by the state with American Rescue Plan Act funds and is managed by the secretary of Health and Human Services. Funds are used for addressing barriers to the delivery of an equitable, culturally competent, affordable, and clinically appropriate continuum of behavioral healthcare and services.
Of the 37 colleges and universities receiving funds, 10 are located in Western Mass.: American International College ($310,000), Bay Path University ($695,000), Cambridge College ($460,000), Elms College ($165,000), Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts ($50,000), Smith College ($260,000), Springfield College ($1,045,000), UMass Amherst ($50,000), Western New England University ($180,000), and Westfield State University ($400,000).
“The experiences and knowledge gained outside of a classroom during an internship can be truly invaluable for individuals aspiring to work in the behavioral-health space,” said state Sen. John Velis, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. “Yet I routinely hear from students about the very real financial challenges they face while completing an unpaid internship, which oftentimes keeps students from participating in an internship altogether.”
Added Lydia Conley, president and CEO of the Assoc. for Behavioral Healthcare, “as the behavioral-health workforce crisis continues and the need for care throughout the Commonwealth grows, programs such as this one are essential in building a cadre of emerging professionals to provide high-quality, community-based care where it is needed the most.”
Meanwhile, Linda Thompson, president of Westfield State University and chair of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, called the funding “a strong example of government, education, and the behavioral-health sector partnering to serve a critical need in our communities. Our state universities are eager to assist in filling the gaps that lead to better outcomes for individuals experiencing mental-health challenges, and are committed to working with the governor’s office, health agencies, and legislators to develop a knowledgeable, experienced workforce to ensure everyone who requires mental-health assistance receives the support they need.”
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Financial services is a broad and robust sector in Western Mass., running the gamut from banking and lending to insurance and accounting to wealth management.
