Virginia Health Care Foundation

The need for behavioral health services for Virginians has never been clearer.

While some help is available for those suffering from the most serious mental illnesses, few resources are available for uninsured Virginians trying to cope with depression, anxiety and other similar mental health challenges. Untreated, these conditions interfere with families, jobs and lives and can lead to a downward spiral.

How VHCF is Helping

VHCF has helped to underwrite, and encourage the approach of integrating delivery of behavioral health services and medical care to health safety net practices through a variety of grants, special initiatives and trainings..

Patient outcomes have been remarkable, and the experience has exposed the shortages in Virginia’s behavioral health provider workforce. Much of the state has been designated a mental health professional shortage area (click here for current listing).

VHCF Grants
Behavioral health project funding for new initiatives is available through VHCF’s grants dedicated to increasing access to health care.

Scholarships for NPs seeking Psychiatric-Mental Health Certification
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has a special scholarship program to underwrite tuition and fees for Nurse Practitioners (NP) who return to school to obtain a post-Master’s Psychiatric-Mental Health (Psych NP) NP Certificate and agree to work for 2-years as a Psych NP for an organization serving medically-underserved Virginians.

This is an excellent opportunity for experienced NPs to gain valuable behavioral health training to help address a huge unmet need in Virginia. To learn about the scholarship program, click here.

Mental Health Roundtables
VHCF hosts semi-annual Mental Health Roundtables for health safety net organizations, Community Services Boards, mental health professionals, policy makers and others.  These half-day roundtables focus on key issues related to increasing access to mental health services for Virginians. (Email Kari Parkhurst to be added to the Mental Health Roundtable email list.)

Behavioral Health Hub
VHCF has created the Behavioral Health Hub listserv to connect the behavioral health community throughout Virginia for sharing resources, tips, and thoughts on providing behavioral health services and self-care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Resources shared via the listserv will also be housed on the Resource Page so you can refer to them at any time.

Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience Resources
VHCF has compiled a list of resources to learn about Trauma Informed Care and Resilience, in-person workshop and training opportunities, and  Resilience Building Blocks for Life cards. (email Andrea Lancaster to learn more).

Special Initiatives
Occasionally, VHCF creates special initiatives to address identified needs in Virginia.

Through these and other grants and programs, VHCF is helping improve access to mental health care for Virginians statewide.

Last Updated on January 30, 2023