The CYBHI’s Broad Behavioral Health Workforce Capacity efforts seek to improve young people’s access to high-quality behavioral health services by building and expanding a culturally and linguistically competent workforce through education and training. Through investments in scholarships, loan repayments, recruitment and expansive training, it is helping to fill professional gaps while creating a workforce that is culturally and linguistically adept, enriched with lived experiences and can better understand and serve the needs of California’s children, youth and families.
Establish earn-and-learn models and training for the workforce that serves justice- and system-involved youth, building the behavioral health workforce pipeline and increasing the diversity and the overall number of behavioral health providers serving children and youth.
Improve access to and quality of behavioral health services by increasing the number of behavioral health professionals and evolving their training to better meet children and youth needs.
Psychiatric Education Capacity Expansion (PECE): In October 2022, HCAI awarded $37.6 million in funding for 15 organizations to support psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner training programs and psychiatry residency programs.
Peer Personnel Specialist Workforce: In July 2022, the Peer Personnel Training and Placement Program awarded $9.5M in CYBHI funds. This CYBHI funding supports organizations that are projected to recruit, train, certify, and place 1,735 new peer personnel specialists in the behavioral health system. The new application cycle was open through March 2023 and will result in awards for fiscal year (FY) 2023-24.
Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs: Between August 2022 and January 2023, HCAI distributed $42.15 million for scholarship and loan repayment awards to increase the number of behavioral health professionals providing direct care in California’s health professional shortage areas.
Behavioral Health Career Pipeline: In September 2022, HCAI awarded more than $40 million in Health Professions Pathway Program (HPPP) grants ($23 million funded through the CYBHI), to support efforts such as career pipeline programs, summer internships for undergraduates and post undergraduate fellowships for students from underrepresented regions and backgrounds who are interested in behavioral health careers.
Psychiatric Education Capacity Expansion (PECE): In October 2022, HCAI awarded $37.6 million in funding for 15 organizations to support psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner training programs and psychiatry residency programs.
Social Work Education Capacity Expansion (SWECE): In February 2023, HCAI announced $59.4 million in grant awards to establish a new Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work in seven institutions and establish or expand Master of Social Work programs in 23 education institutions throughout the state.
Community-Based Organization (CBO) Behavioral Health Workforce Program: In March 2023, HCAI awarded $109 million to support 134 community-based organizations in recruiting and retaining behavioral health personnel and providing loan repayments, scholarships, and stipends to CBO behavioral health staff.
Substance Use Disorder Workforce: In May 2023, HCAI awarded over $23 million in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Earn and Learn grants to six organizations that will provide education and paid job experience for 475 SUD counselors.
