NEWS RELEASE – September 27, 2023
Appalachian Regional Healthcare and UK Social Work Partner to Offer Innovative Education Program for Behavioral Health Workforce Development
Organizations will offer a new Behavioral Healthcare Rural Workforce Fellow Program for Fall 2023.
September 27, 2023 – Leaders from Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) and University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) have announced a new partnership to address workforce shortages in rural areas of Kentucky and West Virginia.
The new initiative, known as the Behavioral Healthcare Rural Workforce Fellow Program, is explicitly designed to support workforce development and increase the number of qualified mental and behavioral health providers for more Central Appalachian patients. Participants, all of whom will be students in CoSW’s online graduate program, will receive tuition support, onsite academic services, and field practicum and clinical rotations at ARH’s state-funded behavioral health facilities in Hazard, Harlan and Prestonsburg. Upon graduation, participants will take part in a structured supervision initiative designed to prepare them for advanced clinical practice credentialing and employment at ARH.
“ARH is excited to partner with the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work to expand the Behavioral Health workforce in Central Appalachian,” Brian Myers, MBA, MTS, CMPE, ARH System Director of Behavioral Health. “Given this tremendous need for Behavioral Health Clinicians in the region, we are grateful for the opportunity to help prepare and empower these students for a career in this exciting field.
The need for programs like this is great.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50% of adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime. But, getting access to needed treatment can be challenging.
The American Psychological Association’s 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey found six out of 10 practitioners said they no longer have openings for new patients and approximately 46% said they are unable to meet the demand for treatment. A 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by ARH’s Community Development office, found that mental health support and access as a priority need for all 14 ARH system hospitals.
“The prevalence of mental and behavioral health issues is staggering compared to physical health ailments,” explained Dr. Jay Miller, Dean of the CoSW at the University of Kentucky. “The partnership between CoSW and ARH is a recognition that we must view mental and behavioral care access with the same sense of urgency and fervor that we do other health issues. Investing in the workforce is the first step.”
The Behavioral Healthcare Rural Workforce Fellow Program is part of CoSW’s Corp Collab, or C2, initiative. C2, which formally launched in 2021, aims to build and strengthen community partnerships through shared investment, integrated learning experiences, and industry-specific credentialing enhancement.
The first cohort of Fellows will enter the program in January 2024 with recruitment beginning fall 2023. During Phase 2 of the launch, the program will expand to include undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky.
For more information, contact Sandy Campbell, M. Ed., ARH Career & Education Program Coordinator, at 606-439-6900 ext. 7843 or by email at, scampbell11@arh.org
###
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies. ARH employs more than 6,500 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $330 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 600 active and courtesy medical staff members. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.
###
University of Kentucky As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It’s all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $501 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.