UMass Chan Medical School’s Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing has received a four-year, $11.6 million grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to establish a statewide fellowship program designed to expand the workforce of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in community health centers. The funding, sourced from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Fiscal Recovery Fund, aims to address growing demand for psychiatric and mental health services across the state while closing workforce gaps and resuming training disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program Goals and Scope
The fellowship targets Massachusetts’s more than 200 community health and hospital licensed centers, which collectively serve over 1 million patients, with a large majority from low-income and historically underrepresented populations. According to Mechelle Plasse, PhD, APRN, assistant professor of nursing and director of mental health nursing programs, “What we’re trying to do is build capacity within community health centers for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.” The program aims to place at least one graduate-level fellow and two student fellows in at least 25 community health centers over the four-year period while increasing workforce diversity.
Fellowship Details
The first cohort is already underway, with a second cohort currently accepting applications. Eligible participants include registered nurses enrolled in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs, recent graduates who completed the program within 18 months of fellowship start, or recently hired psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Graduate fellows commit to 12 months of service, while student fellows participate in semester-long placements.
Fellows receive comprehensive support including didactic education on community health settings, opioid and safe prescribing training, integrated primary care courses, and ongoing mentoring with clinical supervision. The UMass Chan program represents one of nine such psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs in Massachusetts. Leanne Winchester, MS, RN, senior project manager, noted the program is partnering with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to reach facilities statewide.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2024/04/umass-chan-receives-$11.6-million-workforce-grant-for-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioners-fellowship-program