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CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission announced today that the third season of Appalachian Care Chronicles– a podcast featuring first-person accounts from healthcare professionals across West Virginia – launches with four new episodes on September 25, 2024. The new episodes, all available tomorrow, feature: “Our goal is to share these stories with anyone who has ever considered a career in healthcare, including young people who are thinking about who they might like to be in the future and those considering a new path,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “By spotlighting…

CHARLESTON, WV – In observance of World Suicide Prevention Day, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission announces the recipients of its 2024-25 Campus Mental Health Grants, which aim to address the mental health needs of students at West Virginia’s public colleges and universities.  “Supporting the mental health and well-being of our students is critical to ensuring their academic success and overall development,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “These grants are an important step in addressing the unique mental health challenges that many of our students face. We are proud to support these innovative…

Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) is proud to announce a series of grant awards aimed at strengthening the behavioral health workforce across the state. These grants fund a variety of innovative educational initiatives designed to address the critical need for well-trained professionals in behavioral health services, particularly in underserved and rural areas of West Virginia. Funding for these projects totaling $700,000 was made possible by a Congressionally Directed Spending award requested by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito through the U.S. Department of Labor. “I am incredibly grateful to Senators Manchin and…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is accepting applications for the Mental Health Loan Repayment Program, which provides loan repayment for licensed mental health professionals practicing in underserved communities in West Virginia. “Mental health providers across our state provide a truly invaluable service to West Virginians living in underserved areas. Statewide, we need as many committed counselors, social workers, and therapists as possible continuing to work in our communities” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through this loan repayment program, we can ease a financial burden for them – and let them know…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Center for Nursing has released Registered Nurse (RN) and Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse (APRN) supply data for 2021. This information will allow the state to assess the strength of West Virginia’s nursing workforce and inform stakeholders as they continue planning around nursing workforce development. West Virginia currently has 29,817 RNs and 4,692 APRNs licensed in the state (using highest licensure available; APRNs during this award year were also required to hold an RN license). “The Center aggregates these data on a yearly basis and has developed a consistent timeline for its collection and dissemination…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is now accepting applications for the Mental Health Loan Repayment Program, which provides loan repayment for licensed mental health professionals practicing in underserved communities in West Virginia. “Mental health providers across our state provide a truly invaluable service to West Virginians living in underserved areas. Perhaps more than ever before, we need as many committed counselors, social workers, and therapists as possible continuing to work in our communities” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through this loan repayment program, we can ease a financial burden…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System are awarding nearly $60,000 in grants to improve student mental health at colleges and universities across the state. And, to further support institutions and students studying in health and human services fields, the agencies are planning a Mental Health Summit on Nov. 2 for students pursuing degrees in healthcare and behavioral health. “We know that student wellness is a core component of student achievement,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through these grants and this training, we hope to better…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Nursing Scholarship Program, which provides awards to Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Registered Nursing (RN), graduate and LPN teaching certificate students in exchange for service in West Virginia, begins accepting applications on April 15 for the 2021-22 academic year. The program is administered by the West Virginia Center for Nursing in conjunction with the Higher Education Policy Commission. “Building up our state’s nursing workforce is one of the best ways we can support our nurses working every day, right now, on the front lines to care for those in our communities. And it’s one of…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Center for Nursing is accepting applications for its Nursing Academy Grant Program, which was created to encourage young people to consider careers in nursing. Nursing academies are held by healthcare organizations and schools of nursing across the state in the summer months. Most academies are held for three to seven days, allowing middle- and high-school students to learn about nursing careers through hands-on activities and shadowing experiences. “The Center is proud to continue its grant program for these nursing academies,” said Gerald Bragg, chair of the Center’s Board of Directors. “This program encourages young…

Photo 1 link: Mary Jane Braham and Kara Howard, West Virginia University pharmacy students; Photo 2 link: Claire Miller, Marshall University nursing student CHARLESTON, WV – To assist West Virginia’s full-court-press COVID-19 vaccine rollout, more than 1,000 health professional students from colleges and universities across the state have volunteered to administer vaccines in coordination with local health departments and community health partners. This is thanks to a new initiative – the West Virginia Vaccine Administration, Collaboration, and Support (WV VACS) Team – resulting from a partnership among the National Guard, Department of Health and Human Resources, and Higher Education Policy…

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Center for Nursing has released Registered Nurse (RN) and Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse (APRN) supply data for 2020. This information will allow the state to assess the strength of West Virginia’s nursing workforce and inform stakeholders as they continue planning around nursing workforce development.  “The Center aggregates these data on a yearly basis and has developed a consistent timeline for its collection and dissemination that will be used going forward,” says Gerald Bragg, chair of the West Virginia Center for Nursing Board of Directors. “This information provides the public and stakeholders with vital information…

CHARLESTON, W.VA. – The West Virginia Center for Nursing today announced a public comment period for its “Statewide Strategic Plan to Address the Nursing Shortage in West Virginia.” To inform the plan’s development, the Center worked with nursing and healthcare stakeholders throughout the past several months to gather input from across the state. The draft plan addresses a variety of nursing challenges related to recruitment, retention, and nursing data. “We are eager to hear from additional members of our state’s nursing community to gather further feedback on this important strategic plan,” said Gerald Bragg, chair of the Center’s Board of…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is now accepting applications for the state’s new Mental Health Loan Repayment Program, which was created by the Legislature and approved by Governor Jim Justice last year in an effort to retain licensed mental health professionals practicing in underserved communities in West Virginia. “We are tremendously grateful to be able to provide this vital financial aid, which will help retain critically needed mental health providers in historically underserved areas of the state,” said Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor for Higher Education. “Mental health needs are acute in West Virginia,…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s higher education community is celebrating the state’s health providers and educators today as part of National Rural Health Day. Held annually on the third Thursday of November, this day is designed to recognize the efforts of those serving the health needs of an estimated 57 million people across the country. “West Virginia depends on our rural health providers and educators to ensure our citizens have the quality healthcare they need. This is true during normal times, and it is especially true today as our state continues fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sarah Armstrong Tucker,…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System have awarded $45,000 in grants to support student mental health at colleges and universities across the state. Through these Campus Mental Health Grants, institutions will implement a variety of projects that include identifying existing mental health services for improvement, increasing accessibility of clinical services, integrating mental health promotion and prevention throughout the campus system, and establishing a campus-wide culture that strives to identify, prevent, and treat mental illness. “We’ve been working hard at the statewide level to ramp up our efforts to improve mental health…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Nursing Scholarship Program, which provides awards to Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Registered Nursing (RN), graduate and LPN teaching certificate students, has awarded nearly 100 students with scholarships for the Fall 2020 semester. Awardees will receive scholarships ranging from $800 to $4,000, depending on what kind of nursing program they are enrolled in. “Receiving the West Virginia Nursing Scholarship means the world to me,” said Shelby Jarrell, a bachelor’s degree student at West Virginia University Institute of Technology who aspires to work in women’s health. “It shows me that I have support in the state…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is now accepting applications for the Health Sciences Service Program, which provides loan repayment for students in health professions who want to practice in underserved communities in West Virginia. This year’s award is available to students who are enrolled in their final year of a health professions graduate program at a West Virginia higher education institution. “Through this vital program, students who are gearing up to graduate and are interested in serving the health needs of some of West Virginia’s most needy communities are eligible for much-needed funding to help…

CHARLESTON, W.VA. – The West Virginia Nursing Scholarship Program, which provides awards to Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Registered Nursing (RN), graduate and LPN teaching certificate students in exchange for service in West Virginia, is now accepting applications for the 2020-21 academic year. The program is administered by the West Virginia Center for Nursing in conjunction with the Higher Education Policy Commission. “West Virginia needs more nurses, and that need is particularly evident right now as our health care workers fight on the front lines of the coronavirus battle across our state,” said Sarah Tucker, Interim Chancellor of the Higher Education…