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The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has awarded $17.3 million in grants to seven programs to help build the pipeline of public mental health professionals in California.
These grants are being funded through the Workforce Education and Training Program as part of the Mental Health Services Act, which is intended to address the shortage of mental health practitioners in the public mental health system. Collectively, the grantees will add 36 psychiatry residency slots and fund 336 psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner slots. The funding will also help launch a new child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program.
In addition to an overall shortage, the public mental health system lacks a workforce that reflects the state’s cultural and linguistic diversity. This includes individuals with lived experience to provide consumer- and family-driven services that promote wellness, recovery, and resilience. This announcement is intended to help build new and existing training programs that not only help mitigate the shortage of providers but ensure the providers reflect the communities they serve.
More information and the list of the awardees can be found here.