government
HHS bestows behavioral health training grants
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 8, 2012
The federal government has awarded $9.8 million in grants to various schools and programs so they can train more psychologists and social workers in the areas of substance abuse, trauma and abuse, stress associated with military combat, and the needs of chronically ill patients.
On Sept. 25, the Dept. of Health and Human Services said the grants would be made available through a program created under the Affordable Care Act to support clinical training in behavioral and mental health and recruit new students. The goal is to increase the number of behavioral health workers who help treat military patients as well as patients in rural areas.
“Mental health services are critical for those dealing with posttraumatic stress and other severe problems,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “Increasing the number and quality of providers to care for these individuals is a major step forward in addressing these challenges.”
At least a half-dozen of the grant recipients, including the University of Texas at Austin, the Research Foundation of State University of New York and the Regents of the University of Michigan, received awards of up to $480,000 or higher.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/10/08/gvbf1008.htm.