HIGHLIGHTS
- More paraprofessional behavioral health workers are needed in underserved communities.
- Abt will provide technical support to 38 HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce grantees.
- Results will be presented in annual reports, and the trainees will increase the diversity of the medical workforce.
PROJECT
PATA
The Challenge
As evidenced by programs such as Justice40, the Biden Administration understands that some of the communities most in need of social services often receive the least support. The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) reflects this understanding and seeks to increase the number of behavioral health-related paraprofessionals in underserved communities by hiring more Black, indigenous, and people of color to fill these roles. Doing so will provide these trainees with better jobs even as it increases the diversity of the medical workforce. That, in turn, will help decrease the inequitable treatment of these same communities by people in the medical field.
The Approach
Abt is partnering with the Institute for American Apprenticeships to provide training and technical assistance to 38 Opioid Impacted Family Support Program and Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program grantees. This support includes webinars, training materials, and monthly calls with grantees. These services will help advance apprenticeship programs with a specific focus on better supporting communities with a high need for behavioral health care. Abt also will conduct rapid cycle quality improvement evaluation of the training and technical assistance.
The Results
The results of Abt’s evaluation will be included in annual reports, and the new materials to support training – including recorded webinars–will remain available. Additionally, Abt will help launch a website that will serve as a “learning health system.” Finally, Abt will report on the results of the training (e.g., how many trained).