Tennessee scholarship program aims to cut down behavioral health provider shortage – WVLT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Right now, every county in East Tennessee has a shortage of mental health and behavioral health providers. A program from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) is trying to build the workforce.
“We needed to do an even better job of cultivating a workforce, so we have people in our state ready and prepared to serve those seeking services,” said Matt Yancy, deputy commissioner with TDMHSAS.
The multi-million-dollar behavioral health scholarship program provides up to $30,000 over two years for students who pursue a master’s degree in a field related to behavioral health. In return, the student must commit to work for a community-based agency that contracts with TDMHSAS for at least the same amount of time they were on the scholarship.
Ben Harrington, the CEO of Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, said programs like the scholarship are incredibly helpful in getting more people into the field.
“There’s always going to be a need for mental health treatment professionals,” Harrington said. “We have to keep people in the pipeline to practice, and then we need to keep them in the field for 50 years, 25 years.”
Harrington says the provider shortage goes beyond just patient to provider ratios. For example, Knox County could have 250 residents per professional, but not all providers could be taking on new clients. On top of that, insurance providers also create limitations for what professionals are available and affordable for a certain person. All are factors that create more barriers for someone looking for care.
“They are looking for a provider, and if they keep getting the door shut in their face, ‘sorry not taking new patients’ over and over and over again, then that becomes quite a stark and hopeless scenario,” Harrington said. “You can face a list of providers who serve Knox County with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and you can call every one of those providers on the list, and you might find no one is taking a new patient.”
Adding more professionals to the industry will bring more options for care. So far, the scholarship program has had nearly 70 graduates, and more than 200 students are actively receiving money for their education.
With new funding this year, the TDMHSAS is expecting to give scholarships to 300 more students. The state has invested more than $10 million since the program first launched in Spring 2024, after seeing proven success.
“It’s a big deal to have more people entering the public behavioral health workforce,” Yancey said. “This scholarship is giving them the vehicle to do so.”
The scholarship program is accepting new applications right now. The money is awarded on a first come, first served basis. In March of 2024, the TDMHSAS had more than 800 applicants in a matter of days. Yancey encourages students to apply as soon as possible.
For more information and the link to apply, you can click here.
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