Nebraska’s $25.5 million behavioral health workforce initiative supported more than 800 trainees, expanded rural telebehavioral health services and helped organizations recruit and retain clinicians, according to a study published June 24 in Psychiatric Services.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha described the state’s implementation of American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds administered through the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska. The study summarizes implementation and evaluation findings from 105 workforce development projects.
The funds were allocated across four areas: behavioral health training and education, telebehavioral health support in rural areas, COVID-19 workforce projects and supervision funding for provisionally licensed providers.
Here are five things to know:
1. Paying trainees expanded the workforce pipeline. Funding for paid internships, practicums and fellowships supported more than 800 trainees, including 390 graduate interns, 231 licensed mental health counselors, 46 clinical social workers and 32 psychology fellows, helping organizations increase training capacity.
2. Startup funding helped organizations launch sustainable telebehavioral health programs. Nineteen projects new or upgraded telebehavioral health equipment, and 10 organizations created new provider positions. As patient volumes increased, organizations transitioned those positions to revenue-supported salaries after using grant funding to cover startup costs.
3. Recruitment and retention bonuses helped fill longstanding vacancies. Organizations used sign-on and retention incentives to recruit clinicians and reduce turnover. One organization hired and retained a provider within two months of offering a $10,000 signing bonus for a position that had been vacant for nine months. Participating organizations also reported lower burnout, higher job satisfaction and improved work efficiency.
4. Financial support for clinical supervision reduced licensure barriers. Projects provided salary support, stipends and reimbursement for supervisors and supervisees. Evaluation data showed the approach significantly reduced barriers to supervising provisionally licensed behavioral health providers.
5. Embedding evaluation and technical assistance improved accountability. The program incorporated standardized data collection, technical assistance, webinars and regular progress meetings from the outset, enabling organizations to meet federal reporting requirements while generating evidence to guide future workforce investments.
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