Latest news with #EmplifyHealthbyBellin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What to know about Bellin and Marquette's new mental health counseling program
Bellin Health and Marquette University hope to reduce a shortage of mental health professionals in northeastern Wisconsin with a new pilot program. Emplify Health by Bellin — Bellin Health's new name following its merger with Gundersen Health — and Marquette are launching a seven-year pilot program known as the Resch Mental Health Initiative. Emplify Health and Marquette will recruit 25 students from northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula to become "Resch Scholars" in the master's degree program for clinical mental health counseling. The program is an online two-year program. Students will get scholarships to cover tuitions in full and stipend support. The first class in the program will start this fall, Emplify Health and Marquette leaders announced June 4 at Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon. The goal is to improve retention of mental health professionals in the region to address a growing need for treatment. According to data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in 2024, one mental health provider was available for every 380 people in Brown County. Rates of anxiety and depression are on the rise in kids and adults statewide. The program was created with a donation from the Richard J. Resch Foundation, a philanthropic foundation formed by Sharon and Dick Resch, previous CEO of KI. Emplify Health by Bellin declined to share how much the donation was worth. The graduates will work with around 26,000 clients a year, according to Emplify Health. Chris Woleske, Bellin regional president, said the demands of clinical training makes it difficult to retain counselors. To become a licensed counselor in the state, students must also get 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. That's where many students face obstacles because supervisors are in short supply, said Kim Sandstrom, an Emplify Health by Bellin counselor and supervisor for the Resch Mental Health Initiative. "One of the biggest barriers is finding practicum and internship opportunities, which are not paid and have difficult hours," Sandstrom said. "Therapists in training often have to pay to get their supervision hours adding to the stress. They simply drop out." Students in the Resch program will complete all clinical training at Emplify Health by Bellin locations in the area. After graduation, the students will also be offered full-time jobs at Bellin with sign-on and retention bonuses. Interested students can contact Graduate Admission Counselor Jordan Mason at or 414-288-0327. More: Bellin, Gundersen to be called Emplify Health after merging in December 2022 Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@ This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Marquette, Bellin offer pilot mental health counseling master's program
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Emplify Health by Bellin & Marquette partner for pilot program to support & hire mental health counselors
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A major investment from the Richard J. Resch Foundation is fueling a first-of-its-kind effort to address the mental health workforce crisis in northeast Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Emplify Health by Bellin and Marquette University announced a new seven-year pilot program aimed at training, supporting, and hiring future mental health counselors. New orthopedic and sports medicine clinic breaks ground in Oshkosh, set to open in 2026 The program removes traditional barriers like tuition and unpaid clinical hours by covering educational costs, offering stipends, and providing a direct path to employment with Emplify Health after graduation. 'This particular gift, which is really transformative, actually addresses that whole barrier,' said Alan Burkhard, Coordinator of School Counseling at Marquette University. 'It takes all those financial barriers out of the way. So it covers tuition, provides stipend support, and covers textbooks.' The initiative is backed by a multi-million dollar donation from the Resch Foundation, which is known for its significant contributions to health and education in the region. The goal of the program is to curb a projected shortage of 500 mental health counselors in the area over the next three to four years. Kimberly Sandstrom, a clinical supervisor with Bellin Health, will oversee the hands-on training process and help students gain experience across several specialties, including youth mental health, addiction recovery, and trauma care. 'I will be able to help mentor them through this whole program,' Sandstrom said. 'They'll get a well-rounded experience because we have all those programs.' The program is expected to start this fall, with its first class of students beginning coursework and clinical placements. 'Cops and Bobbers' returning to Sheboygan, register now! Leaders estimate it could generate more than $250 million in long-term economic savings for the healthcare system while addressing one of the region's most urgent public health needs. 'This will be the start of something big,' said Sharon Resch during the announcement at the Resch Expo Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
