Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Education Begins in Eastern Oregon
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Education Begins in Eastern Oregon
Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC) has received a $1 million grant from the Healthy Oregon Workforce Training Opportunity (HOWTO) grant program sponsored by the Oregon Health Authority, to expand the 3-year Doctor of Nursing Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) educational program from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) to a distance delivery model serving Eastern Oregon. Success will be achieved throughout this grant by providing education for individuals that already hold a bachelor's degree, or higher, in nursing, who live in Eastern Oregon, and retaining them in the region as a highly skilled workforce able to practice in an area of high need in healthcare. By growing our own PMHNPs, NEOAHEC will increase the workforce available to serve the mental health needs of our region. A large portion of the funding received by NEOAHEC will fund scholarships for students to further reduce the barriers associated with returning to school. Students who have been accepted into this year’s program have received generous support from scholarships including:
- NEOAHEC via HOWTO Grant $163,000 - Scholarships awarded from this generous grant from the Oregon Health Authority have enabled these students to remain in their homes, with their families, and achieve a higher level of education to provide service in their communities.
- RENEW $55,000 - The OHSU School of Nursing has received funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration to support the expansion of the PMHNP program to rural areas of the state. The grant provides scholarships for PMHNP students enrolled in the doctorate of nursing practice degree program.
- Scholars for Healthy Oregon Initiative (SHOI) $39,000 - SHOI funding provides full tuition and fees for a limited number of eligible students entering specific clinical degree programs at OHSU. In return, funding recipients agree to practice as a healthcare practitioner in a rural or underserved community in Oregon.
Three students from eastern Oregon have accepted admission to start the program later this month. The students are spaced throughout the region in Baker, Umatilla, and Wallowa counties.
Meet the Students:
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More Information
Admission for year two will open in the early winter. More information about this program can be found by clicking this link: Watch this informative video about the PMHNP Program