Posted by Behavioral Health Billing Solutions, LLC.
OhioMHAS will be prioritizing funding to community behavioral health providers who indicate they will implement or expand workforce capacity associated with serving the deaf and hard of hearing populations.
Ohio is experiencing a shortage of new entry level behavioral health professionals as well as an inability to retain and support, on a long term basis, our existing behavioral health professionals at community behavioral health agencies. OhioMHAS has funding in the SFY 2018/2019 biennial budget to assist OhioMHAS certified community behavioral health providers with hiring/developing new entry level behavioral health professionals and to incentivize existing behavioral health professionals in attaining a higher level of professional recognition (credential).
Funding Opportunity: It is projected that up to $6,000,000 in funding will be available across the biennia. OhioMHAS will be accepting applications through 5:00 p.m. Friday, September 1, 2017; however, funding will be awarded on a first come first serve basis and as is available under the biennial budget by state fiscal year availability.
Eligible Applicants: The initiative will provide one-time funding of up to $100,000 to each awarded community behavioral health provider that is regulated (certified/licensed) by OhioMHAS and to support provider administered workforce development programs. The award will be made for SFY18 or SFY19 to providers that accomplish the following (in no particular order):
1) Assist with defraying loss of direct service revenue when staff at the agency are involved with providing training supervision related to professional licensure/credentialing. 2) Provide funding for an agency to use for a student loan repayment program. 3) Provide funding for an agency to use for a tuition payment and/or reimbursement program.
Scope of Work: It is expected that the funding will be used to create new or to enhance existing professional development programs that a provider already has in place.
The following table represents the behavioral health professionals (by credential hierarchy within each profession) that are the professionals the funding can be used to support, including individuals who are pursuing an educational track for the assistant/trainee credential(s):
