Funding: Healthcare Workforce

Provides funding to expand clinical training at accredited addiction medicine fellowship (AMF) and addiction psychiatry fellowship (APF) programs. Seeks to increase the number of physicians and psychiatrists working in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services. Seeks to improve access to addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services for patients in rural and underserved areas.

Provides funding to support community-based partnerships and collaborations aimed at promoting access to healthcare for under-resourced and underserved children and their families in rural and underserved areas through the implementation and evaluation of new or enhanced evidence-informed, evidence-based community-based projects that deliver preventive clinical and public health services to the target population. Program focus areas include increasing behavioral health screenings and referrals for children.

Provides funding to increase the number of internships, field placements, and other experiential training opportunities for individuals working to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals. Promotes collaboration with community-based health partners to meet workforce demand in high need and high demand areas and expand access to quality behavioral health services, including services for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration through team-based care and emphasizes training oriented toward the behavioral health needs of children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth.

Supports the planning, development, operation, and participation in accredited postdoctoral training programs for general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and dental public health. Seeks to improve health outcomes by providing low-income, underserved, underrepresented minority, rural, and other disadvantaged populations with increased access to oral health services.

Provides funding to accredited organizations to enhance primary care residency training programs in street medicine. Seeks to expand access to primary care and behavioral health services outside of traditional clinical settings to people experiencing homelessness by increasing the number of primary care physicians prepared to practice street medicine. Training programs located in rural areas are a priority.

Works to prepare and encourage physicians to practice healthcare in rural communities. Provides start-up funding for the planning and development of sustainable programs to train residents in rural residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Offers grant funding to enhance behavioral health workforce capacity within the Northern Border Regional Commission's service area. Utilizes a network-based approach to provide training and job placement for behavioral health professionals in rural communities.

Offers grant funds to create new youth-focused, peer-driven behavioral healthcare support programs and provide career pathway opportunities in rural communities. Seeks to establish local networks to develop and implement behavioral health programming for rural youth.

Offers funding to increase the number of internships, field placements, and other experiential training opportunities for individuals working to become behavioral health professionals. Works with community-based health partners to meet workforce demand in high need and high demand areas with the goal of expanding access to quality behavioral health services, including services for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). Supports interprofessional team-based care, integration of behavioral with primary care, and recruitment of diverse workforce. Special emphasis is placed on training focused on the behavioral health needs of children, adolescents, and young adults.

Provides funding for loan repayment for students in their last year of pursuing a degree in allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, physician assistant studies, nursing, or dentistry in exchange for 3-year full-time service commitments providing primary care services in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) upon the completion of their residency.

Provides funding for loan repayment for healthcare professionals in exchange for 2-year service obligations at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Helps recruit and retain qualified practitioners in facilities with the greatest staffing needs in specific health profession disciplines, including primary care and behavioral health.

Offers grants to rural or rural-serving organizations to evaluate, develop, and expand technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models, with the goal of improving workforce retention and increasing access to healthcare, especially specialty care, in rural, frontier, and tribal areas and other underserved communities. Aims to support healthcare providers through distance health education models focused on chronic diseases, infectious diseases, mental health, substance use disorders (SUDs), prenatal and maternal health, pediatric care, pain management, palliative care, and other specialty care.

Provides funding for loan repayment for pediatric medical subspecialty care, pediatric surgical specialty care, and child and adolescent behavioral healthcare providers in exchange for 3-year service obligations at approved sites in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), and Medically Underserved Population (MUPs). Aims to increase pediatric workforce in underserved areas and expand access to care, including child and adolescent mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services.

Assists with the recruitment and retention of pediatric medical subspecialty care, pediatric surgical specialty care, and behavioral healthcare professionals serving Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUAs/Ps). New and current clinical staff working in eligible disciplines at an approved facility are eligible to receive loan repayment assistance through the Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program. Helps communities meet pediatric workforce needs and increases access to child and adolescent behavioral healthcare, including mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services.

Provides funding for loan repayment for substance use disorder (SUD) professionals in exchange for 6-year service obligations at STAR LRP-approved facilities located in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or in counties with high rates of drug overdose deaths. Helps recruit and retain qualified clinicians and paraprofessionals to provide direct SUD treatment or recovery support services in underserved areas and rural communities significantly impacted by substance use.

Assists communities with the recruitment and retention of qualified substance use disorder (SUD) professionals who provide direct treatment or recovery support at facilities located in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or in counties with a drug overdose death rate that is higher than the national average. New and current clinical staff working in eligible disciplines at a STAR LRP-approved facility are eligible to receive loan repayment assistance through the STAR Loan Repayment Program, which is open to a wider range of SUD clinicians and paraprofessionals compared to other HRSA loan repayment programs.

Provides funding for loan repayment for primary care, oral health, behavioral/mental health, and maternal health providers in exchange for 2-year service obligations at National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved sites in a Primary Care, Dental, and Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in rural, urban, and underserved areas.

Provides funding for loan repayment for primary care and behavioral/mental health professionals in exchange for 3-year service obligations at National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved sites in Primary Care and Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in rural communities. Seeks to increase the number of primary care and behavioral/mental health professionals providing opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and services to patients in rural areas.

Provides funding for loan repayment for substance use disorder (SUD) primary care and behavioral/mental health professionals in exchange for 3-year service obligations at National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved sites in Mental Health and/or Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in rural and underserved areas.

Supports new and existing training programs for paraprofessionals in behavioral health fields in order to improve services for families whose parents are impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) or other substance use disorders (SUD). Seeks to increase the number of paraprofessionals in behavioral health working in high-need and high-demand areas to reduce the risk of mental health disorders and SUD among children.

Addresses health professional shortages by offering scholarships to eligible nursing students in exchange for full-time service obligations at critical shortage facilities (CSFs) located in Primary Care or Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Addresses primary care provider shortages by offering scholarships for students pursuing primary care health professions in exchange for full-time service obligations at National Health Service Corps (NHSC)-approved sites in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Provides substance use disorder (SUD) education to health profession students early in their academic careers, with the goal of increasing the number of professionals trained to identify, assess, intervene, and treat addiction; support recovery; and address stigma. Supports health profession programs in integrating SUD content into academic curricula and promotes the integration of behavioral and physical healthcare systems using a multidisciplinary team approach. Gives preference to programs that place students in SUD programs serving rural and underserved areas.

Offers funding to recruit and train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in rural areas with a primary focus on addressing substance use disorders (SUDs) and co-occurring mental health conditions (COD). Supports training on trauma-informed, recovery-based SUD/COD emergency care for rural residents, including the use of naloxone for the reversal of opioid overdose, and helps EMS staff meet federal or state licensing or certification requirements.

Awards funding to establish clinical rotations for physician assistant (PA) students in rural areas. Supports the development of rotations of at least 3 months that integrate primary care and behavioral health services, with the goal of increasing the number of PAs who choose to practice in rural areas after graduation and are trained to prevent, identify, diagnose, treat, and refer services for behavioral health conditions, including the provision of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Offers financial assistance to trainees during rotations in a rural primary care setting.

Provides funding for loan repayment for registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and nurse faculty in exchange for full-time service obligations at critical shortage facilities (CSFs) located in Mental Health or Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or at a school of nursing. Addresses nursing shortages to meet the healthcare needs of underserved communities, including mental health, substance use disorder (SUD), and other behavioral health services.

Offers funding to state and local health departments to work with HIV clinical providers in developing approaches that utilize culturally competent community health worker (CHW) services to conduct outreach and re-engage people with HIV in care who are living in rural areas. Services include connecting individuals to mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services, and other supports necessary to help participants enter, re-engage, and remain in HIV care and treatment.

Provides funding to organizations to engage AmeriCorps members to build public health capacity in local communities by serving in state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments. Aims to meet local public health needs and advance equitable outcomes for underserved communities. Activities may include mental health education and awareness, social service navigation, and crisis response for opioids, suicide, and mental health.

Expands access at the community level to naloxone and other medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency treatment of opioid overdose by establishing best practices for prescribing overdose reversal drugs. Provides training and resources to prescribers and providers and ensures protocols are in place to connect people who have experienced overdose to appropriate follow-up care and substance use treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and behavioral therapies. Focuses on specific urban and rural populations to address the needs and expand workforce capacity in communities highly impacted by overdose and reduce overdose deaths.

Funding to plan, develop, and operate a 12 month full-time, or 24 month half-time, training program for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, health service psychologists, counselors, nurses, and/or social workers focused on training practitioners to provide mental health and substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), services. Seeks to expand the workforce trained to provide care for individuals in need of mental health and SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services in an integrated primary care underserved community-based setting.

Funds demonstration projects in states to improve the quality of emergency medical services (EMS) for children. Seeks innovative models and methods to strengthen EMS systems. Seeks to improve health outcomes and attain equitable access to pediatric emergency care and everyday readiness for all children across the nation, especially for those children living in racial or ethnic minority, tribal, and rural communities.

Supports American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in successfully transitioning back into the community after completing treatment at an Indian Health Services (IHS) Youth Regional Treatment Center (YRTC). Provides culturally adapted aftercare and case management services focused on whole-person wellness and community engagement to help youth achieve and sustain safety and sobriety, with an emphasis on employability as a means of achieving program goals. YRTC is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Offers funding for predoctoral training programs in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry for dental, dental hygiene, and public health dentistry students. Aims to enhance trainees' ability to provide oral healthcare for populations and individuals with medically complex health conditions, special healthcare, and behavioral healthcare needs in vulnerable, underserved, or rural communities. Focuses on training that integrates oral health within primary care and promotes patient-centered approaches that address the impact of social determinants of health on oral health outcomes.

Funds for states to develop and implement programs to address the oral health workforce needs in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including those in rural communities. Supports new ideas, methods, and/or approaches to increase access to oral health services. Allows states to design programs to address opioid use disorder (OUD) by improving pain management practices, treatments, and recovery support services. Helps states become better prepared for future public health emergencies by evaluating and responding to the impact of COVID-19 on oral health workforce.

Provides funding for the creation of employment and training programs in high demand rural healthcare occupations, including behavioral and mental healthcare. Seeks to address rural health workforce shortages by increasing the number of individuals training in occupations that directly impact the care of rural populations. Assists unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers to transition into sustainable health careers that qualify as middle or high-skilled occupations under the H-1B visa program. Focuses on training for veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, women, people of color, ex-offenders, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented rural populations.

Expands and enhances existing 12-month nurse practitioner (NP) residency programs with the goal of increasing the number of new, qualified primary care or behavioral health NPs prepared to work in integrated, community-based settings, especially in rural or underserved areas.

Aims to increase the number of primary care physicians capable and willing to provide care to rural and/or underserved communities by funding accredited residency training program improvements in family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, or combined internal medicine and pediatrics. Works to reduce healthcare expenses, improve care quality, and increase access to healthcare by preparing and encouraging residency graduates to serve in rural and/or underserved areas.

Provides funding to strengthen experiential training for behavioral health paraprofessional students focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD). Emphasizes training that addresses the specific challenges of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth at risk for behavioral health disorders. Seeks to expand access to quality SUD/OUD treatment and services in high need, high demand areas by increasing the number of qualified behavioral health paraprofessionals working in community-based settings.

Funds to expand community-based training for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD), especially among affected rural youth, for students pursuing advanced degrees in behavioral health.