OhioMHAS Announces Recruitment and Retention Bonuses for Great Minds Program Graduates

Up to $10,000 Available to Individuals Who Work At Least One Year in Community Behavioral Healthcare

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) announced today that, as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of Ohioans working in the behavioral health field, eligible graduates of the Great Minds Fellowship program are now able to apply for recruitment and retention bonuses totaling $10,000.

Under this initiative, eligible Great Minds Fellowship program graduates will receive:

• A $5,000 sign-on bonus upon accepting a position at a OhioMHAS-licensed community behavioral health center (CBHC)
• An additional $5,000 bonus after completing one year of employment at a CBHC

“Growing our behavioral health workforce remains a top priority of OhioMHAS as the demand for behavioral health services continues to increase,” said Director LeeAnne Cornyn. “These recruitment and retention bonuses will allow us to reward the dedication of Great Minds Fellowship graduates as they step into roles across Ohio’s communities.”

OhioMHAS is partnering with Health Impact Ohio (HIO) to administer the recruitment and retention bonus initiative.

Applications for the recruitment and retention bonuses went live: November 1, 2024. Great Minds Fellowship program graduates working at CBHCs are encouraged to apply.

For more information on the program and how to apply, visit https://www.healthimpactohio.org/great-minds-fellows or email greatmindsfellows@healthimpactohio.org.

The recruitment and retention bonuses represent the third phase of the Great Minds Fellowship program. Created by Governor DeWine with the support of the Ohio General Assembly, the aim of the Great Minds initiative is to incentivize college students to pursue careers in behavioral health fields like social work, therapy, counseling, and psychiatric and mental health nursing. Funding for this latest phase comes from the $85 million in one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources dollars set aside at the initial launch of the Great Minds initiative.

The program, a partnership between OhioMHAS, the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and Ohio Department of Medicaid, was first made available in fall 2023 to students at eligible colleges and universities who were within two years of graduating with degrees or certificates in social work, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, psychiatric/mental health nursing, and substance abuse/addiction counseling.  Additional details on the two previous phases are below:

• Great Minds Fellowship: Great Minds Fellows at participating colleges and universities are eligible for up to $15,000 during their undergraduate and graduate studies for scholarship opportunities to assist with the costs of obtaining their degrees or certificates; opportunities to intern at one of Ohio’s Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the 2023-2024 academic year, 961 Great Minds Fellows received funding.

Workforce Commitment Incentive Program: Last month, Governor DeWine announced a new initiative to encourage recent graduates to serve in the community-based behavioral health field through incentives of up to $20,000 in student loan support. This initiative aims to bolster workforce stability and ensure long-term service delivery. Applications remain open through Nov. 15, 2024. Great Minds Fellowship Workforce Commitment Incentive Program | The Ohio Department of Higher Education