The Oregon Health Authority has issued $4 million in grants to help retain and recruit behavioral health providers in high-need communities.
The funding was authorized under House Bill 2024, which directed the agency to invest $4.75 million in education incentives to address workforce shortages, according to a Feb. 6 news release from the governor’s office. Of that total, $4 million was distributed through a competitive grant process, while $750,000 was set aside to support critical services across the state.
Eighteen of the 26 awards were designed for rural or remote communities. More than $1.3 million was allocated to small businesses and community organizations. Grant recipients include:
- Clatsop Behavioral Health, $219,700
- La Clinica, $219,700
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, $219,700
- The Next Door, $174,572
- Neurotherapeutic Pediatrics, $172,108
- Lincoln County, $144,700
- Tillamook Family, $144,700
- Oregon Community Programs, $144,700
- Center for Family Development, $104,460
- Raices de Bienestar, $94,700
Grant funding will support education and workforce incentives such as scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students entering behavioral health fields, loan forgiveness and repayment programs, tuition assistance and stipends for students enrolled in graduate-level behavioral health programs.
The bill also included a Tribal set-aside to support recruitment and retention of behavioral health providers in Tribal communities, as well as an additional $250,000 to support workforce needs tied to Oregon’s suicide prevention hotlines.
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