E. Ky. clinics get $887,152 federal grant to train APRNs, clinical social workers and counselors in substance-abuse counseling

MCHC has 13 clinics in seven counties. (MCHC/KHN map)

Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. of Whitesburg has received a federal grant of nearly $900,000, one of only 20 such grants in the nation, to improve substance-abuse treatment in Eastern Kentucky.

MCHC and the University of Louisville’s Trager Institute will "use the money for a five-year program to create training programs to increase the number of substance-use-specific treatment providers in the region and improve access to services, said a press release published by The Mountain Eagle of Whitesburg. "The grant totals $887,152 and comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration Bureau of Health Workforce. . . . Other recipients include Yale University, Emory University and Texas A&M University."

The program will focus on increasing the number of advance practice registered nurses, clinical social workers, and professional counselors trained in substance abuse counseling. The U of L program will have an onsite element at MCHC, adding four providers a year in southeastern Kentucky.

"MCHC has provided substance abuse treatment in Letcher and the surrounding counties since 2016," the release said. "It also serves as a training site for doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, counselors, physician assistants, medical assistants, and advanced practice students of all healthcare professions who are working toward a career in abuse treatment."