UNC Pembroke has received a $50,000 grant to reduce transportation barriers for students seeking internships in behavioral health and health settings off campus.
The funds–awarded through the North Carolina Healthcare Foundation’s Social Impact Program–will support the university’s BRAVES Behavioral Health Workforce Transportation program. The new program addresses transportation as a social driver of health and builds community collaboration around transportation models.
“We are so grateful to receive these funds to assist UNCP students in being able to get out into the Robeson County community as they complete their internships in behavioral health and health settings,” said Dr. Summer Woodside, chair of the Department of Social Work and principal investigator for the grant.
“We hope that the students served in this program will realize what a wonderful community we have here, how rewarding a behavioral health and health professionals' career can be in this area, and that they will consider staying in the Robeson County workforce area after graduation to help us move the needle in health in this region.”
Transportation is widely recognized as a critical and essential component of providing access to health and behavioral health services. Yet, according to UNCP's grant proposal, barriers to transportation and gaps in public transportation infrastructure negatively impact communities of color and those with lower socio-economic status, as well as rural areas.
College students are a sector often overlooked when addressing transportation issues.
“We usually think about transportation as it relates to clients who need to get to these services, but we have also noticed some of our students who want to do internships off campus experience transportation barriers”, explained Dr. Jackie Davis, Director of UNCP’s Community Health and Wellness Institute and the project evaluator.
According to Woodside, students who engage in internships and experiential learning in the community will have the opportunity to develop professional relationships and network with healthcare personnel.
Woodside credits MSW student intern Kresa Cummings, a UNCP alumna, for her role in securing the funds as a contributing grant writer. Cummings said the experience was eye-opening.
“It was pretty exciting for me to participate in the project from the beginning,” Cummings said. “It was encouraging because, as an undergraduate student, I was a part of the health program (NC-HCAP) where we would go into the community, network, and get that hands-on experience. Many students who were along with me have maintained those relationships after graduating med school.”
Beginning this fall semester, on-campus undergraduate and graduate students interested in health or behavioral health internships or practicums off campus may apply for gas vouchers. Funds will also be used to offer students online professional development training and conduct a needs assessment to determine the scope of future internship-related transportation needs at UNCP. Professor Charmagne Williams will serve as the project coordinator in the Department of Social Work.
