$1.5 million scholarship program to tackle behavioral health worker shortage
This article was originally published by the VC Star.
A public Medi-Cal insurance plan has launched a $1.5 million scholarship program for students pursuing educational training that leads to behavioral health careers.
The scholarships were announced this month by the Gold Coast Health Plan and are funded through a state Department of Health Care Services program aimed at expanding access to behavioral health services. Gold Coast administers Medi-Cal for nearly 250,000 low-income residents in Ventura County
The scholarships will fund education for a variety of training ranging from certification programs for community health workers to medical school for future psychiatrists. The idea is to alleviate the shortage of behavioral health workers available to people on Medi-Cal.
“There’s just not enough of them anywhere,” said Laura Espinosa, chair of the Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission, which governs Gold Coast
The scholarships are also designed to diversify the behavioral health workforce to better match the needs of Medi-Cal recipients.
About $750,000 in scholarships over six academic years will be distributed through the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project with priority going to students from indigenous Mexican backgrounds and farmworker families.
The balance of the funds will be distributed by the Ventura County Community Foundation. In order to win scholarships through the foundation, applicants must be current or former Medi-Cal recipients. They must have plans to work in Ventura County in a behavioral health role upon completing their education.
Foundation officials said eligible applicants include first-generation college students, foster youth and people who have spent time in jail, youth correctional facilities or prison. They also encouraged applications from people who speak more than one language and are fluent in Spanish, Mixtec, Tagalog or American Sign Language. People will be given priority if they live in communities that have limited access to health care services.
Scholarships through MICOP and the foundation will vary depending on the degree being pursued with awards of up to $10,000 for certification programs and up to $20,000 for bachelor’s degrees. The money can be used for tuition, books and living expenses.
More information on the MICOP scholarships can be found at mixteco.org/community-organizing-policy-advocacy/tequioscholarship/. The deadline for spring semester scholarships is Dec. 1.
The deadline scholarship for the 2024-25 cycle through the Ventura County Community Foundation is Jan. 15. For more information, go to https://vccf.academicworks.com/opportunities/3254.