VCU News reports that two federal grants totaling $3.6 million will expand pro bono behavioral health care and support graduate training in Central Virginia.
Federal funding for training and care
According to VCU News, a Virginia Commonwealth University psychology program received two federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration totaling $3.6 million. The grants are intended to increase the behavioral health workforce, VCU News reported.
VCU News said the funding was awarded in June to Heather Jones, an associate professor of psychology and co-director of the Primary Care Psychology Training Collaborative. The collaborative is part of VCU’s Department of Psychology within the College of Humanities and Sciences, according to VCU News.
Expanded pro bono services
VCU News reported that the new funding will increase access to pro bono mental health care for people in Central Virginia. The care will be offered through the collaborative’s partner sites at VCU and in the broader community, according to the source.
The source said the collaborative has supported people dealing with anxiety, depression, substance use and trauma, along with behavioral or interpersonal problems. Its model places a graduate student clinician on a patient’s primary medical team as part of integrated behavioral health primary care, VCU News reported.
Graduate student preparation
According to VCU News, the grants will support more than 50 graduate students preparing for behavioral health careers. Students will receive training in areas including substance use treatment, trauma-informed care, rural mental health and youth mental health, the source said.
VCU News reported that participating master’s and Ph.D. students are studying clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school counseling and rehabilitation counseling. The students train at 12 sites across Central Virginia, according to the source.
The grants are supported at VCU by the College of Humanities and Sciences and the VCU Institute for Women’s Health, VCU News reported. The source also described involvement from several VCU academic and medical departments in the interprofessional training grants.
What this means for Virginia patients
According to VCU News, the funding is designed to expand pro bono behavioral health care and prepare additional practitioners, which may matter for people seeking treatment locally. The directory lists 79 published clinics in Virginia.
This is general information, not medical advice.
More Virginia reporting on workforce.
This report is educational and is not medical advice. Coverage, availability and eligibility can change; verify details with the named source or your care team.