Martha’s Vineyard Community Services has received nearly $700,000 in state funding to help build a behavioral health workforce on the Island for things like addiction treatment.
The two-year grant is through the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), and is $685,000 in total.
A press release from Community Services says funding will help enhance the recruitment, retention, and development for community-based behavioral health and other social service programs.
“The Home and Community Based Services workforce development grant creates an opportunity for MV Community Services to join with vital community partners to help build and sustain a robust Island workforce dedicated to behavioral health and other community-based programs,” Beth Folcarelli, Chief Executive Officer at MVCS, is quoted in the release issued Friday. “We appreciate the Executive Office of Health and Human Services investment in MVCS through a comprehensive workforce training program, financial support for our Clinical Residency Program in West Tisbury, occupational pipeline for practitioners specializing in addiction treatment, a career ladder program for other social service employees at MVCS, and several other creative initiatives funded by this program.”
Bill Rovero joined the MV Community Services team as Director of Community Initiatives to oversee the program’s implementation.
“We are pleased to partner with Martha’s Vineyard Center for Education and Training (MVCET), the six Island police departments, and local community colleges to implement the various initiatives associated with this grant,” said Mr. Rovero. “The team at MVCET is already in place to help us to launch the workforce development portion of this program, which offers three core tracks, Clinical Excellence, Supervisory Excellence, and Service Excellence.”
Other partners will include Cape Cod Community College and Bristol Community College. In addition to specific training to be held throughout the two-year grant period, MVCS will hold the first-ever Martha’s Vineyard Behavioral Health Conference in late 2024. Clinicians and supervisors from all over the Island will gather to share ideas and best practices, and hear from leaders in their fields.
The first Clinical Excellence trainings will launch in May, with more events coming online monthly throughout the grant period. MVCS will partner with the Island-wide police departments and Advocates, Inc., to kick-off co-responder training by mid-year.
And where are members of this “robust Island workforce” going to live? Are they maybe going to commute from northern New England or upstate New York?
You really should have public conferences with addicts and parents to organize an effective program. You need to listen those who are in the trenches.