With a $100,000 grant from HealthForce Partners Northern San Joaquin, Stanislaus State continues to help address the critical shortage of behavioral and mental health care providers in the northern San Joaquin Valley.
The funding will provide scholarships of up to $5,000 to graduate students pursuing careers in social work, clinical counseling and marriage and family therapy in Stanislaus County, equipping them to serve their communities and stay rooted in the region.
The funds were presented to the University during a ceremonial check presentation on Friday, Nov. 22, with Stanislaus State and HealthForce Partners leadership in attendance.
“Stanislaus State is a critical education provider for the Northern San Joaquin Valley, offering an affordable and accessible option for students from diverse backgrounds,” said HealthForce Partners Executive Director Paul Lanning. “By supporting these students, we’re investing in our own residents and ensuring they can build careers that allow them to give back to their home communities. The best way to tackle the shortages in this area is to invest in our own people.”
Founded in 2018, the nonprofit HealthForce Partners works to alleviate healthcare staffing shortages through recruitment, training and retention of local healthcare professionals. The organization collaborates with healthcare, education and workforce leaders across Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties.
“We’re very bullish about the future of Stanislaus State in this region, particularly its focus in growing the healthcare workforce,” Lanning said. “Whether through social work, speech-language pathology or other sorely needed disciplines, this is exactly what this region needs.”
This is the second gift HealthForce Partners has contributed to Stan State.
In 2023, HealthForce Partners awarded Stan State $210,000 to fund scholarships for Master of Social Work students in San Joaquin County. This latest grant reaffirms their shared commitment to addressing the region’s most pressing healthcare challenges while creating opportunities for local students to thrive.
“Our job is not just to invest in scholarships, but also to facilitate greater availability of clinical placements in our region so that our students can aspire to fill these roles without having to leave the area,” Lanning said. “That allows them to remain home, to raise a family, buy a home as they enter their careers and know that they aren’t going to have to leave their home area to be able to succeed. We’re here to support and to partner in fueling the growth of those programs.”
