FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeff Theodore, (401) 456-4679, jtheodore@ric.edu
Jayashree Nimmagadda, (401) 456-8210, jnimmagadda@ric.edu
RIC School of Social Work Awarded Grant to Meet Mental Health Needs of Underserved Populations
Rhode Island Integrated Care Education Project will increase number
of Masters-level social workers serving vulnerable populations
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Rhode Island College School of Social Work, with Professor Jayashree Nimmagadda, Ph.D., M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., as principal investigator, has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to launch the Rhode Island Integrated Care Education (RIICE) Project. The $999,892 award will be used to increase the number of Masters-level social workers trained in team-based integrated care, who graduate and pursue clinical work to meet the mental health needs of Rhode Island's vulnerable and underserved populations.
RIICE has three primary goals: 1) Add 60 master's-level social workers to the state's behavioral health workforce by 2021; 2) Train 60 M.S.W. clinical students who have the competency to provide behavioral health services in a team-based integrated setting in medically underserved areas, also by 2021; and 3) Establish new partnerships between the RIC School of Social Work and primary care clinics and community health teams that serve vulnerable and underserved populations.
"This project will be a key initiative in enhancing the state's behavioral health workforce to support health care transformation strategies identified in Rhode Island's Integrated Population Health Plan," said Nimmagadda. "Several needs assessment reports have identified that access to mental health care, including substance use disorders, is one the urgent issues for Rhode Islanders."
Nimmagadda has previously been involved in other successful grant applications on behalf of the School of Social Work, including a $486,000 state grant (along with RIC School of Social Work Dean Sue Pearlmutter) for substance use intervention training and $471,000 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration for trauma care training in RIC's M.S.W. program.
"The mission of RIC's School of Social Work has included a commitment to prepare students for exceptional service in their communities," said Pearlmutter. "This grant permits us to engage our students in integrated behavioral health experiences that will increase their skills and capacity to excel as practitioners."
“This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number M01HP31337 and Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant for $999,892. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.’’
For more information on the RIC School of Social Work, visit http://www.ric.edu/socialwork.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
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