Ohio University’s school of nursing director was awarded a $1.35 million grant to help increase the number of behavioral health professionals in Athens and surrounding counties.
The grant was awarded to Deborah Henderson from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. The grant will be active from the month of September 2019 to Aug. 31, 2022.
There are 10 co-investigators from the College of Education, College of Health Sciences and Professions and the School of Nursing, according to a university press release.
The College of Health and Sciences will work with the College of Education to teach teams from various counties through classes and clinical experiences.
“The grant team is excited to collaborate with our graduate students and partnering community behavioral health organizations to increase the number of behavioral health providers for the region,” Henderson said in the release.
The grant applies to Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Perry, Ross, Vinton and Washington counties. These counties were chosen because of their high drug overdose rates.
Meigs County has the third highest overdose death rate in Ohio, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hocking, Perry and Jackson counties have significantly higher rates than the national average.
