Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals - We propose a program that will build behavioral health workforce capacity by offering standardized learning and skills-enriching training, community-based experiential field placements, and training at registered Department of Labor apprenticeship employer partners, with an overarching goal of improving access to team-based care in integrated care settings. The GeorgiA: Understanding Risk Reduction to Optimize Childhood, Adolescence, and Young Adulthood (GA URR O-CAY) Program will leverage cross-sector collaborations to increase the number of students trained as behavioral health paraprofessionals. This program will: (1) establish and enhance relationships with community-based partners to expand and improve access to quality behavioral health services in high-need and high-demand areas; (2) promote collaborative training by using team-based models of care in integrated or interprofessional behavioral health and primary care settings; and (3) recruit a workforce interested in working with children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth in high-need communities. Trainee recruitment will be facilitated by the Technical College System of Georgia. Georgia’s adolescent and young adult populations fare worse than counterparts nationally. For example, a higher percentage of high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless (44%) than their counterparts across the country (42%) (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2021). In 2024, Georgia ranked 47th out of 51 in MH access [which included Youth with Major Depressive Episode Who Did Not Receive MH Services, Youth with Private Insurance that Did Not Cover Behavioral or Emotional Problems, and Students (K+) Identified with an Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program; MH America, 2024] and 41st out of 50 in MH treatment for youth ages 12 to 17 (HRSA, MCH, America’s Health Rankings, 2022-23). GA URR O-CAY has these specific, measurable objectives: (1) Establish a 24-week Level 1: pre-service training program that includes a 154-hour educational training curriculum (hybrid). (2) Reduce barriers to program enrollments and retention by providing $6,000 stipends to 12 Level 1 trainees per year, 48 Pre-service Trainees overall. (3) Implement hands-on integrated training through 32 hours of simulated experiences and 80 hours of experiential learning and field placements via community-based partnerships. (4) Provide full-time, 2,030-hour Level 2: In-service training at a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program site for 35% of Level 1: Pre-service trainees, providing stipends of $8,500 to four (4) Level 2 trainees in Years 2-4, 12 In-Service Trainees overall. (Level 2 trainees also complete 12 hours of simulated experiences.) (5) Increase the number of behavioral health paraprofessionals joining integrated care teams to strengthen the workforce and advance care in high-need and high-demand areas. The training – which will include online learning options and content on technology and digital literacy – will focus on developing knowledge and understanding of CAY who have experienced undue distress and are at risk for behavioral health disorders. Supported by cross-sector partnerships with four behavioral health training partners that serve CAY populations (one of which has five school-based health centers), GA URR O-CAY will train and integrate with care teams through experiential learning, field placements, and registered apprenticeships, cultivating community CAY wellness advocates. Funding Priority: Qualifies for Funding Priority 1. Funding Preference: Qualifies for Funding Preference 1.
