Behavioral health workforce education and training program for paraprofessionals - the united states continues to face a mental health and substance use disorders crisis

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded Salisbury University $499,407 on September 1, 2026, under the Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants program (CFDA 93.732) to develop a behavioral health workforce training program for paraprofessionals serving the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Salisbury University will establish the Salisbury University Eastern Shore Paraprofessional Education and Training (SU PETP) program to train community health workers and certified peer recovery specialists, with dual certification representing a unique offering in the region. The training program targets individuals who will provide care coordination and support services to children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and face risk for behavioral health and substance use disorders. Trainees will be prepared to work within integrated, interprofessional teams providing prevention, treatment, and recovery support services to families affected by mental health and opioid use disorders.

Performance occurs in Maryland with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program supports expansion of the behavioral health workforce by funding training initiatives that increase access to behavioral health services for targeted populations, including paraprofessional training programs delivered through state-licensed or accredited entities.

Overdose rates among young people continue to rise. Young people and their families living on the eastern shore of maryland are not immune from these phenomena. The rise in child and adolescent behavioral health issues has led to a need for expanding the workforce to provide more access to prevention, treatment, and recovery support services to meet the needs of these families. Paraprofessionals such as community health workers (CHW) and peer recovery support specialists, bring a unique perspective and set of skills to the care coordination of individuals who are affected by mental health and substance use disorders. For example, paraprofessionals, while assisting case managers and social workers to address the needs of the individual, spend more "hands-on" time with the individual than the case manager or social worker who is the lead on the case. To address this workforce need, the salisbury university eastern shore paraprofessional education and training (SU petp) will develop a training program that increases the number of behavioral health-related paraprofessionals who work in integrated, interprofessional teams providing services to families. A special focus of the program will be developing knowledge and understanding of the needs of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders and substance use disorder. The program will train individuals to serve as chws and certified peer recovery specialists. This dual certification is unique compared to other paraprofessional training programs and fills a desperate need on the eastern shore of maryland. Trainees will be prepared to address the needs of children, adolescents, and transitional youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for mental health disorders and/or substance use disorders in high need and high demand areas of the rural eastern shore of maryland. Over the course of 4 years, the program will provide didactic educational support and experiential field training opportunities for 59 paraprofessional trainees. Key activities will include recruiting trainees, providing didactic training including an internship and on-the-job training apprenticeship working on an interdisciplinary team in mucs, and incentives for remaining in the program through the level II training. The program is requesting both a funding and priority preference.