UMD DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK RECEIVES MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRAINING GRANT

The Department of the Social Work at the University of Minnesota Duluth is one of approximately 20 programs nationally to be awarded a Mental and Behavioral Health Education Training Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. These federal grants support programs in recruiting graduate students and providing education and clinical experiences to address the mental and behavioral health needs of rural, vulnerable, and/or underserved populations or veterans, and their families. The UMD MSW program has received $440,000 over a three-year period, mostly for student stipends, targeting mental health services to rural, American Indian, and mental health care professional shortage areas. The program will seek to expand the number of clinical MSW field placements, provide student stipend support and provide interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students and practitioners. According to Dr. Melanie Shepard, the project director, the grant addresses a critical need for more highly qualified clinical social workers to work with high need, high demand populations in northern Minnesota. The Arrowhead region is designated as a mental health professional shortage area and has well-documented health and mental health challenges that impact veterans and American Indian populations in particular. The following agencies have indicated their willingness to collaborate with the UMD MSW program to address these needs: Fond du Lac Human Services Division, Leech Lake Band-Human Services, Essentia Health Duluth-Behavioral Health, Duluth Vet Center, Human Development Center, Accend Services, Duluth Institute, St. Louis County- Adult Mental Health and Woodland Hills.