New UIC Program Will Address Social Worker Shortage
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A $2 million accelerator grant from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board is supporting a new program to provide educational and professional opportunities to local youth, while addressing the shortage of mental health care providers in the area. The Social Worker Opportunity Tracks (SWOT) program is a collaboration led by the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford in collaboration with Rock Valley College, Rockford University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work, Rockford Public Schools 205 and the Boone-Winnebago County Regional Office of Education #4.
“Winnebago County has a shortage of mental health providers, often having 150 or more positions for social workers open,” says Alex Stagnaro-Green, dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford and the principal investigator on the grant. “SWOT will train individuals committed to becoming social workers in Winnebago County and build opportunities for area students to train and work in the area for years to come.”