American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Awards Program dollars are having a real impact in Nebraska, according to meetings that the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) held with funding recipients this summer.
The American Rescue Plan Act was originally signed into law by President Joe Biden in March of 2021 to aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
BHECN hosted workshops in Kearney, Chadron, Scottsbluff, Wayne and Omaha with organizations that received portions of the $25.5 million in ARPA funds that the Nebraska Legislature allocated to BHECN in 2022.
The organizations described how the funding support helped them address key behavioral health workforce challenges.
Many of the projects directly align with BHECN’s efforts to address the state’s shortage of behavioral health workers, said BHECN Director Marley Doyle, MD.
“It was very gratifying to hear that the ARPA dollars are working how they are intended to work,” Dr. Doyle said. “Although we’re only a year into the program, the impact our awardees are having on the behavioral health workforce in this state is truly remarkable.”
One of the numerous examples of ARPA’s success is found at Chadron State College, where Brittany Helmbrecht, DHEd, instituted a campus wellness program to reduce stigma around mental health treatment, which included hosting a behavioral health presentation for Chadron State athletes on performance anxiety, which drew more than 300 students and others.
Hearing so many stories about ARPA awards improving behavioral health in Nebraska is an affirming experience for the BHECN team, said Jessie Buche, director of the BHECN-ARPA Awards Program.