CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $1,660,220 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program for Marshall University. The funding will support training school-based mental health service providers for employment in schools and local educational agencies across West Virginia.
“Children are the future of West Virginia, which is why it’s imperative that we do what we can to make sure they have the best education and, by extension, the best school resources possible,” Senator Capito said. “Mental health struggles among younger age groups have risen the last ten years, but counseling services at schools have not improved at the same rate. This grant provides Marshall University with the resources to train a new generation of mental health professionals who will make classrooms a place for children to be excited and learn.”
“It is more important than ever that we work together to ensure every West Virginia student has a safe and healthy learning environment, and strengthening school-based mental health services is a top priority of mine,” Senator Manchin said. “I am pleased the Department of Education is investing more than 1.6 million in Marshall University to train mental health service providers and help address the shortage of mental health professionals for our children. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of the funding and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to bolster mental health services and support our students across the Mountain State.”
The Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program provides funding to establish innovative partnerships between higher education institutions and local schools and educational agencies. The program trains school counselors, social workers, psychologists and other mental health professionals qualified to provide school-based mental health services, with the goal of expanding the pipeline of these workers into low-income public schools to address shortages of school-based mental health service professionals.
# # #