(HUMAN SERVICES) County Seeking Recruits for Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County, in partnership with the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF), today announced they have begun recruiting for the first and second cohorts of Behavioral Health Fellows, an innovative new effort designed to strengthen and grow the region’s behavioral health workforce.

The Behavioral Health Fellows program is funded by $15 million in Medicaid funding. The program is designed to entice existing behavioral healthcare staff and new hires into available jobs with local behavioral health, mental health and substance use service providers. Recruits will enter into a minimum two-year employment obligation in exchange for educational loan payment, certification reimbursement, training opportunities, salary enhancements and other incentives.

"This is a transformative, new initiative that will allow us to attract and equip a diverse group of people to meet the growing demand in this field," said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. "We are grateful to our partners at the state and federal government for their willingness to support this innovative program to meet the need for behavioral health workforce in this community. I commend Director Dalton and her team on this initiative and thank JHF for their partnership as we begin to roll out this program."

Fellows will be hired into positions such as family-based mental health, crisis services, case management for substance use disorder and other front line roles. JHF will handle all recruiting efforts, design Fellows’ professional development and cohort experiences, and support Fellows throughout the program

“The need for clinicians has never been greater, with staff vacancies at all-time highs causing waitlists for help. We are excited to offer loan forgiveness and other incentives to those considering joining or looking to stay in the mental health and substance use treatment fields,” said DHS Director Erin Dalton.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there is more demand for behavioral health treatment than workforce capacity to deliver services. With federal and state led efforts to expand current capacity, this program is particularly timely.

“The pandemic made a dire situation in behavioral health services even worse. We must support our frontline workers during this time, and we are grateful for the county’s leadership in bringing such an innovative program to respond to this need,” said JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein. “JHF has been coaching frontline staff with leadership development, skills training, and peer-to-peer connections for decades, and we look forward to strengthening this new generation of our behavioral health workforce.”

Information on the program including current involved provider-employers, eligibility and the online application portal can be found at www.alleghenycounty.us/Human-Services/Careers/Professional-Opportunities/BH-Fellows-Program.aspx. The program has received the backing of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE) and, if successful, is hoped to be a model that can be replicated in other jurisdictions.

In addition to recruiting fellows, eligible mental health and substance use disorder service providers who are looking to build their staffs are also being recruited throughout the region. Information is at www.alleghenycounty.us/Human-Services/Careers/Professional-Opportunities/BH-Fellows-Program.aspx.