UConn Awarded $6 Million For Social Work, Nursing Initiatives

STORRS, CT — The UConn School of Nursing and the UConn School of Social Work have been awarded more than $6 million through the new CT Health Horizons program to address "statewide shortages in social work and nursing."

The announcement was made Wednesday.

Beginning this spring, and over three years, the school social work, which was awarded more than $2 million, will use the funds to increase the number of social workers in Connecticut "trained to serve the mental health needs of children and adolescents."

The school of nursing, which was awarded $4 million, will use the funds to increase the "number of registered nurses to meet the school's mission of advancing the health of individuals and communities."

In the School of Social Work, funds will be used to provide $1 million in student stipends, hire faculty, and support two targeted SSW strategies: to increase the number of Spanish-speaking, Master of Social Work-level social workers in the state, and to boost the number of social workers in public schools.

To serve the growing Latina/o/x community in the state, the SSW will launch Connecticut ¡Adelante!, a program for Spanish-speaking, bilingual social work students. In addition to preparing these students to provide mental health services, the program will also build the linguistic and cultural competencies of students to serve a growing population of Latina/o/x children and families in Connecticut. Students will receive a stipend each semester they remain in the program.

See more about the awards on the UConn Today site.