This week the U.S. Department of Education awarded Portland State University close to $6 million dollars over 5 years for the Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program in Oregon and Washington. This grant will train new school-based mental health services providers, addressing a shortage in high-need schools.
“PSU stands to make a significant impact on the mental health workforce in Oregon’s most high need schools in tribal, rural/frontier and predominantly Latinx communities and ultimately on the mental health of students across the state,” said Evan Elkin, co-Principal Investigator on the grant and Executive Director of Reclaiming Futures – a national organization based within the PSU School of Social Work. “The grant will fund training of a new generation of school social workers recruited from these high need communities with specialized skills needed for work in these settings. The project will bring a state of the art school-based mental health screening model developed by Reclaiming Futures to some of the neediest schools in Oregon.”
Schools around the country are understaffed, but the Pacific Northwest has a higher need for social workers in rural areas, who serve vulnerable, priority populations. Even prior to the pandemic, nearly 35% of students in Oregon described their mental health as fair or poor.
But in rural Oregon there are 65% fewer mental health providers than in urban areas. Students there are challenged by the impacts of COVID-19, disasters, traumatic events, and adverse childhood experiences, leading to anxiety, depression, substance misuse, and suicidality. In Oregon, suicide is the second leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 24.
Between 2024 and 2029, PSU will train 500 individuals as a result of this grant, serving 75,000 students. The university will place 73 social work interns in seven local education agencies, 75% of which represent marginalized identities or local communities. The communities affected include rural Southern Oregon, Washington County, Northeast Portland, Spokane, and the Chemawa Indian School in the mid-Willamette Valley. Each of these districts’ student populations face challenges like high levels of poverty, homelessness, or wildfire vulnerability.
Portland State University is partnering with the Latino Network, La Clinica, and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Board to implement the project, as the students served are predominantly Hispanic or Latinx, speaking dozens of different languages.
"The Latinx community witnessed a tremendous increase in need for mental health services during the pandemic, yet our community has few options for culturally specific providers,” said Veronica Leonard, Director of Health and Wellness at the Latino Network. “Latino Network is excited to continue to build our mental health services by partnering with PSU School of Social Work and others to support the development of Latinx social workers and bring services to our youth and families."
Students recruited for this project will receive a $10,000 stipend if they intern and work at the seven identified school districts. They’ll also be supported by specialized academic advisors and staff mentors from partner agencies connected to their communities. Funding will also provide group clinical supervision and continuing education to these students after graduation.