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Mental health services are often challenging to obtain, which is why the EMC Health Foundation has a scholarship program designed to expand access to those critical services for residents in areas of Stanislaus and Merced counties that the foundation serves.
The Linda M. Stuhmer Behavioral Health Scholarship was created in 2021 to honor Linda Stuhmer, President and CEO of EMC Health Inc. Her contributions to the communities across the Central Valley have been significant, and her leadership with Jessica’s House has helped ensure that grieving families and individuals have a place to call home.
Stuhmer is being recognized for her commitment to ensuring that no one with a mental health challenge is ever left behind. The scholarship program will draw on the valley’s diversity and unique culture, which will be best served by future providers committed to being part of the community.
“We have created the Linda M. Stuhmer Behavioral Health Scholarship program to begin to build our own mental health workforce,” said Jeffrey Lewis, President and CEO of the EMC Health Foundation in Turlock. “It is often difficult for people and families to access needed behavioral health services because of the severe provider shortages. This scholarship program will allow us to educate local students who want to obtain their master’s degree and stay and work in our community.”
Since its inception, the program has helped more than a dozen multilingual and multicultural future providers. One of them is recent University of the Pacific graduate Nancy Valdovinos, who works as a Care Coordinator while completing her licensing hours in Stanislaus County.
“As a mother, wife, and full-time behavioral health professional, receiving this scholarship enabled me to pursue further education without the burden of debt or student loans,” she said. “This opportunity empowered me to offer mental health services to my community and helped bridge the gap in Latino behavioral health providers. As a bicultural, bi-literate Latina, it was crucial for me to deliver culturally competent care to those who share my background and experiences. Si se pudo!”
The scholarship covers tuition and books for the two-year master’s degree program, which today averages close to $50,000 for one of the below-mentioned degrees. EMCHF will assist local students from within the 19 Zip codes who have been accepted into one of four master’s and doctoral programs:
• Clinical Social Work
• Marriage and Family Therapy
• Professional Clinical Counseling
• Clinical Psychology (Master’s and Doctorate)
Upon completing their studies and becoming licensed, graduates must return to work for three years at a nonprofit or for-profit entity that serves the greater EMC Health Foundation community’s behavioral health needs. Students needing partial financial assistance must still utilize their professional degree in one of EMCHF’s 19 Zip codes for three years.
The goal is to rebuild the Central Valley’s behavioral health infrastructure with individuals who grew up in the region and would be more inclined to live and work in the Central Valley, ensuring that all its residents can access quality mental health services.
To obtain more information about the scholarship program, please email allie@emchf.org. The complete application packet is available for download at http://www.emchf.org/bhscholarship and must be postmarked before April 4, 2025.
