Northeastern State University received a $2.3 million grant to support its students who are set to become social workers in rural northeast Oklahoma.
The money will be distributed as stipends directly to students so they can focus on their social work during their studies.
According to Dr. Eun-Jun Bang, department chair at NSU’s School of Social Work, those direct payments are important because many students rely on financial aid or other sources of income to get by.
“Most of our students, they do have full-time employment,” Bang said. “They cannot go to school without having full-time jobs.”
Bang said those students plan to stay in their communities in rural northeast Oklahoma, where availability of mental health care is limited.
“We do have huge needs, but we do not have enough mental health providers.”
The social work students are training specifically on trauma and substance abuse, issues that are prevalent in many rural communities.
