South Shore Chamber Of Commerce: Quincy College Awarded Major Nursing Grant

Press release from the South Shore Chamber of Commerce:

11/9/2021

Quincy College has received a four-year, $300,000 grant from Mass General Brigham (MGB) to develop and implement a program within its nursing curriculum that will focus on addressing the crisis in behavioral health nursing.

The grant, part of an overall $50 million MGB investment in a comprehensive Eastern Massachusetts community and mental health strategy, will be used initially to fund a process to design curriculum aimed at increasing the College’s capacity to graduate students capable of entering the field of behavioral/mental health nursing. Behavioral health nursing specialists promote health and wellness through the identification, treatment, and prevention of mental health and/or psychiatric disorders.

The need for these specialized clinicians is well-documented and growing, both nationally and regionally: the US Department of Health Resources and Services Administration reports a current nationwide shortage of nearly 1 million behavioral health/mental health nurses; and 20 Greater Boston communities have been designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas in which the ratio of mental health professionals to residents is fewer than 1 per 30,000 people.

According to MGB, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the number of individuals needing mental health support. Hospital emergency departments are often overwhelmed by the number of individuals seeking psychiatric care, and many patients are experiencing unacceptable delays in receiving treatment in both inpatient and outpatient settings. MGB’s decision to award a grant to Quincy College represents an investment in an institution whose nursing program can contribute to what MGB hopes will be a robust, long-term behavioral health talent pipeline.

“We are honored to be included in Mass General Brigham’s innovative approach to improving patient access to much-needed behavioral health services,” said Quincy College President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro. “By awarding us this generous grant, MGB acknowledges the College’s ability to be part of the solution to this continuing crisis. Our nursing program leaders are anxious to begin work on a curriculum that will eventually result in more behavioral health nursing specialists delivering care in our communities.”

This press release was produced by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.