Health Sciences

Welcome to the Health Sciences Division of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

The WVHEPC Division of Health Sciences leads by leveraging expertise, fostering collaboration, and supporting innovation to improve the health of West Virginians, particularly rural and underserved populations. Our initiatives grow and strengthen the healthcare workforce of the future through promoting equitable access to health and behavioral health sciences education and through supporting research, practice, and policy.

Our Initiatives

Governor’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program

The Governor’s Nursing Workforce Expansion program ($48 million in 2022) to expand enrollment in the state’s nursing programs, supporting scholarships for nursing students, and investing in recruiting and reattaining of nurses for West Virginia.

Governor’s Emergency Medical Services Workforce Expansion Program

The Governor’s Emergency Medical Services Workforce Expansion program ($10 million in 2022) to expand enrollment in EMS programs, providing free training, mobile ambulance simulators and more.

Rural Health Initiative

The Rural Health Initiative ($1.8 million per year in grants to the state’s three medical schools) to improve the pipeline, recruitment, and retention of healthcare providers in West Virginia’s rural areas.

Grants Portal Forms

Large Grants Programs

• Exhibit A pt.1 – SoW
• Exhibit A pt.2 – Workplan & Outcomes Tracking
• Exhibit B – Budget Detail
• Exhibit C – Budget Narrative
• Exhibit F – Eligibility Verification
• Invoice Template

Small Grants Programs

• Exhibit A – SoW
• Exhibit B – Budget
• Exhibit F – Eligibility Verification
• Quarterly Report-Internship Stipend Grant
• Invoice Template
• Progress and Final Report Guidance
• Final Narrative Report Template
• Final Budget Report Template

Behavioral Health Workforce Education Initiative Grants (Training, Internship, Pipeline, and Telehealth grants)

• Grant Quarterly Reporting Form

Grant Application Tools

• User Guide for Grants Applications and Management in the Portal
• Tutorial Video: Grant Portal Application
• Tutorial Video: Submitting Invoices, Change Order Requests and Reports in the Grant Portal

Behavioral Health Initiative

The Behavioral Health Initiative to improve the pipeline, recruitment, and retention of behavioral health providers in West Virginia’s underserved areas and impacts campus mental health.

Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs

Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs to increase the number of providers in underserved and rural areas of West Virginia.

• Health Sciences Service Program
• Choose WV Practice Program
• Mental Health Loan Repayment Program
• West Virginia Rural Health Residency Program

West Virginia Office of Nursing Education and Workforce Development

West Virginia Office of Nursing Education and Workforce Development is the state’s nursing workforce center.

• Nursing Career Pathways
• Junior and Senior Nursing Academies for middle and high school students
• WV Nursing Scholarship Program

West Virginia Perinatal Partnership

West Virginia Perinatal Partnership to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies in West Virginia.

West Virginia Anatomical Board

West Virginia Anatomical Board supports the Human Gifts Registry at the state’s three medical schools. Visit their websites at:

• Marshall
• WV School of Osteopathic Medicine West Virginia University
• West Virginia University

Related Media

Healthcare Workforce Data analysis and publication to assist with policy and planning decisions. 

News and Commentary

Contact

304-558-0530 (office)  |  304-558-0532 (fax)  |  2001 Union Carbide Drive, South Charleston, WV 25303

Building 2000

Staff

	Amanda McCarty, Senior Director of Health Sciences 304-558-0530 ext. 26358 Amanda.McCarty@wvhepc.edu
	Carolyn Canini, Director of Behavioral Health Programs 304-558-0530 ext. 26391 Carolyn.Canini@wvhepc.edu
	Candace Layne, Behavioral Health Program Specialist 304-558-0838 ext. 5 Candace.Layne@wvhepc.edu
	Jordyn Reed, Administrator, West Virginia Center for Nursing 304-558-0838 ext. 26393 Jordyn.Reed@wvhepc.edu
	Michelle Ruppert, Health Sciences Program Administrator 304-558-0530 ext. 26392 Michelle.Ruppert@wvhepc.edu
	Deloris Vance, Business and Grants Coordinator 304-558-0530 ext. 26359 Deloris.Vance@wvhepc.edu