January 05, 2023
Manchin, Capito Announce $1.6 Million for School-Based Mental Health Training at Marshall University
Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
announced $1,660,220 from the U.S. Department of Education Mental Health
Service Professionals Demonstration Program for Marshall University. The
funding will support the training of school-based mental health service
providers for employment in schools and local educational agencies across West
Virginia.
“It is more important than ever that we work together to ensure
every West Virginia student has a safe and healthy learning environment, and
strengthening school-based mental health services is a top priority of mine,” said
Senator Manchin. “I am pleased the Department of Education is investing
more than $1.6 million in Marshall University to train mental health service
providers and help address the shortage of mental health professionals for our
children. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of the funding and as a
member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for
resources to bolster mental health services and support our students across the
Mountain State.”
“Children are the future of West Virginia, which is why it’s
imperative that we do what we can to make sure they have the best education
and, by extension, the best school resources possible,” Senator Capito said.
“Mental health struggles among younger age groups have risen the last ten
years, but counseling services at schools have not improved at the same rate.
This grant provides Marshall University with the resources to train a new
generation of mental health professionals who will make classrooms a place for
children to be excited and learn.”
The Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals
Demonstration Program provides funding to establish innovative partnerships
between institutions of higher education and local schools and educational
agencies. The program trains school counselors, social workers, psychologists
and other mental health professionals qualified to provide school-based mental
health services, with the goal of expanding the pipeline of these workers into
low-income public schools to address shortages of school-based mental health
service professionals.
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