OneQuest Health, NKU secures 100k to combat mental health workforce shortages – LINK nky

Report on a Strategic Partnership to Advance Sustainable Development Goals in Kentucky’s Mental Healthcare Sector

Executive Summary

A strategic partnership between OneQuest Health and Northern Kentucky University (NKU) has been established to address critical workforce shortages in the mental healthcare sector. This initiative, supported by a $100,000 scholarship fund, directly aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on health, education, and collaborative partnerships. The program aims to develop the next generation of mental health counselors, thereby strengthening community well-being and promoting sustainable development within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Alignment with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The core objective of this initiative is to advance SDG 3 by promoting mental health and well-being and strengthening the regional health workforce.

• Target 3.4: Promote Mental Health and Well-being: By increasing the number of qualified clinical mental health counselors, the program directly addresses the growing demand for mental health services, a critical component of overall community health.
• Target 3.c: Increase Health Workforce Development: The scholarship fund is a direct investment in the recruitment, training, and development of healthcare professionals, specifically targeting a high-need area to build a resilient and sustainable mental health workforce for the future.

According to Rick Wurth, CEO of OneQuest Health, this collaboration is a “game-changer” in tackling these critical workforce shortages, demonstrating a proactive approach to achieving SDG 3 targets.

Contribution to SDG 4: Quality Education

The partnership provides vital support for inclusive and equitable quality education, a cornerstone of SDG 4. The scholarship fund is designed to remove financial barriers and foster opportunities for lifelong learning.

1. Ensuring Access to Tertiary Education: The $100,000 in scholarships, awarded to students in NKU’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, enhances access to specialized higher education, in line with SDG Target 4.3.
2. Developing Skills for Employment: The program equips students with relevant, in-demand skills, preparing them for decent work in the healthcare sector and contributing to SDG Target 4.4.

Gannon Tagher, Dean of NKU’s College of Health and Human Services, noted the investment ensures “more qualified, compassionate mental healthcare workers can enter the field,” reinforcing the program’s commitment to quality education and professional development.

Impact on SDG 8 (Decent Work) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

By creating a direct channel from education to employment in a high-need field, the initiative supports both economic growth and social equity.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The program funnels talent into the healthcare sector, promoting full and productive employment for its graduates and strengthening the local economy.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: Addressing the shortage of mental healthcare professionals improves access to care for all populations, helping to reduce health-related inequalities within the community.

Exemplifying SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

This initiative serves as a model for SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable development objectives.

Key Partners and Roles:

1. OneQuest Health (Private Sector): Provided a $50,000 matching contribution and industry expertise on workforce needs.
2. Northern Kentucky University (Academia): Hosts the counseling program and facilitates the education and training of students.
3. Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (Government): Awarded $50,000 through its Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund, providing the public funding and legislative framework for the initiative.

This public-private-academic partnership demonstrates a collaborative and effective strategy for leveraging combined resources to achieve shared sustainable development goals.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article’s central theme is addressing the “shortage of mental healthcare professionals in Kentucky.” This directly relates to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, with a specific focus on mental health services. The initiative aims to produce “more qualified, compassionate mental healthcare workers” to meet a demand that has “never been greater,” thereby improving access to mental healthcare for the population.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The solution presented in the article is educational. The partnership provides “$100,000 in scholarships” to “directly support students in NKU’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.” This action aims to make quality tertiary education more accessible and affordable, enabling the development of skilled professionals.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The initiative is framed as a “workforce development” effort. By funding education for a specific profession, the partnership seeks to “grow the state’s healthcare workforce” and “directly funnel talent into a high-need area of the healthcare sector.” This contributes to productive employment by training individuals for available, skilled jobs.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article explicitly details a multi-stakeholder partnership. It describes the collaboration between a private healthcare provider (“OneQuest Health”), a public university (“Northern Kentucky University”), and a state-level body (“Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education”). This partnership leverages combined resources and expertise to tackle the “critical workforce shortages” in mental healthcare, exemplifying a public-private partnership for a sustainable development objective.

Specific Targets Identified

1. Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being

   • By training and developing “the next generation of counselors,” the initiative directly contributes to the promotion of mental health and well-being by increasing the capacity of the healthcare system to provide necessary services.

2. Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce

   • The article is a direct example of this target in action. The $100,000 fund is a form of health financing aimed specifically at the “recruitment, development, [and] training” of the mental healthcare workforce to address the identified shortage.

3. Target 4.3: Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

   • The scholarship program makes a Master’s degree—a form of tertiary education—more affordable for students, thereby increasing access to quality vocational training for a career in mental health counseling.

4. Target 4.4: Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

   • The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program provides students with highly relevant and specialized skills for employment in a “high-need area of the healthcare sector,” directly aligning with this target.

5. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships

   • The collaboration between OneQuest Health (private sector), Northern Kentucky University (public education), and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (public body) is a clear example of a public-private partnership designed to achieve a common goal.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Health worker density and distribution (Indicator 3.c.1)

   • This is the primary implied indicator. The entire initiative is a response to a “shortage of mental healthcare professionals.” Progress can be measured by tracking the number of new counselors graduating from the program and entering the workforce in Kentucky, thereby increasing the density of mental health workers.

2. Participation rate in tertiary education (related to Indicator 4.3.2)

   • The article implies this indicator by focusing on supporting students. The number of students who apply for and receive the scholarships, and the overall enrollment in NKU’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, can be used to measure the success of the initiative in promoting participation in this specific field of education.

3. Amount of U.S. dollars committed to public-private partnerships (related to Indicator 17.17.1)

   • The article explicitly mentions financial figures that serve as a direct indicator. It states there is “$100,000 in scholarships” from the current partnership and that “OneQuest Health has leveraged $300,000 in funding” in total for this cause. These figures quantify the financial commitment to the partnership.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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