The award, Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems, will allow the university to expand its programming for individuals in recovery for substance use.
Shawnee State University has received a $500,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) award. The award will allow the university to expand its programming for individuals in substance use recovery, as well as introduce more education programming and professional development opportunities for the fields of Social Work, Human Services, and Behavioral and Community Health, all of which would bolster the Appalachian region.
According to an article on Shawnee State University’s website, Dr. Christine Raber, who serves as the university’s Dean of the College of Health & Human Services, was quoted as saying of the award, “This INSPIRE Grant will help us continue to support the regional recovery community by funding innovative and rapid ways for us to expand our behavioral health workforce, provide career pathways for citizens in recovery, and upskill professionals already providing services in our Appalachian region.”
In using the grant funding, the university will work with several community partners, including the STAR Community Justice Center, UK King’s Daughter’s Medical Center, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Shawnee Family Health Center, The Counseling Center, and Integrated Services for Behavioral Health. With these partners, the university will work to introduce more certificate programs for graduate-level programs in Social Work, Human Services, and Rural Health, as well as more stackable credentials for individuals who are already working in these fields.
The goal is to increase the number of behavioral health workers in the Appalachian region in order to help the community thrive, both through workforce expansion and the enhancement of healthcare availability and accessibility.
Gayle Manchin, who serves as the Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, said, “In order to have a healthy Appalachian economy, we must make sure we have a healthy Appalachian workforce. I am so proud of the way ARC’s INSPIRE initiative ecosystem empowers Appalachians in substance use disorder recovery to gain the training, resources and support they need to enter or re-enter the workforce while also becoming productive members of their families and communities.”
For more information about Shawnee State University, visit the school’s website.