Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students - California State University, Chico School of Social Work proposes a five-year Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) project to increase the behavioral health workforce serving rural, Tribal, and medically underserved communities (MUCs) throughout Northern California. The project will address persistent behavioral health workforce shortages by reducing financial barriers between Fall 2026 to Spring 2031 for 125 full-time Master of Social Work (MSW) students from disadvantaged backgrounds while preparing graduates for employment in integrated behavioral health and primary care settings. The School of Social Work serves a 21-county region characterized by widespread provider shortages, geographic isolation, and significant health disparities. Many communities have limited access to behavioral health services due to workforce shortages, high poverty rates, transportation barriers, and challenges recruiting and retaining qualified clinicians. The SDS project will strengthen the region's behavioral health workforce by investing in students who are most likely to live, train, and remain employed within these underserved communities. The project will provide scholarships to eligible full-time MSW students from disadvantaged backgrounds, reducing financial hardship and allowing students to complete their graduate education with fewer economic barriers. Scholarship recipients will participate in Chico State's comprehensive Behavioral Health Workforce Development Model, which integrates academic advising, faculty mentorship, behavioral health workforce training, specialized clinical learning communities, interprofessional education, and supervised practicum experiences in rural, Tribal, primary care, and behavioral health settings. Students will receive individualized academic support, professional development, and career preparation designed to facilitate successful graduation, employment, and long-term retention in underserved communities. Project objectives are to: (1) increase recruitment and enrollment of full-time MSW students from disadvantaged backgrounds; (2) increase retention and successful graduation through financial assistance and coordinated student support services; (3) expand behavioral health and integrated primary care training opportunities in rural, Tribal, and MUCs; and (4) increase the number of graduates employed in behavioral health positions serving rural, Tribal, and medically underserved populations. The project builds upon Chico State's established behavioral health workforce infrastructure and extensive network of approximately 221 community partnerships, including county behavioral health departments, federally qualified health centers, Tribal health organizations, hospitals, schools, and community-based agencies across Northern California. These partnerships provide high-quality practicum experience and create strong employment pathways for graduates throughout our rural and mountainous region. By increasing access to graduate education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and strengthening the rural behavioral health workforce pipeline, the SDS project will improve access to behavioral health services in communities experiencing persistent provider shortages. The project will produce practice-ready clinical social workers equipped to provide responsive, integrated behavioral health services and will contribute to a sustainable workforce prepared to meet the behavioral health needs of Northern California's rural, Tribal, and MUCs.
