SPRINGFIELD – Mercy College of Ohio received a four-year grant totaling $740,998 from The Health Resources and Services Administration to increase the number of peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals working with families impacted by opioid use and other substance abuse disorders.

These peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals provide community-based services for people with mental illness or substance use disorder that promote recovery, self-determination, self-advocacy, well-being and independence.

The grant will provide tuition assistance and stipends to students in Mercy College’s two-semester Community Health Worker (CHW) program totaling up to $4,000. The CHW program will be enhanced and expanded to prepare students to meet the needs of recovering opioid addicts.

After completing the CHW certificate, graduates can be placed in one-year paid apprenticeships that will immerse them in hands-on experiences further preparing them for careers. These paid apprenticeships will include an additional stipend of $7,500. CHW program graduates may be offered permanent employment following apprenticeships.

The CHW program is available to Ohio residents with the lecture content provided online. Mercy College will assist in establishing a clinical facility in students’ local areas. Those interested in Mercy College’s CHW program can visit www.mercycollege.edu or contact the admissions office at [email protected].