Waynesburg University was recently awarded a three-year grant totaling more than $1.5 million from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) for the launch of its Healthcare Workforce Resiliency Training (HWRT) Program.
The purpose of the HWRT Program, which is slated to launch in June, is to enhance the resilience, health and safety of healthcare workers in order to impact community resilience and mental health in the face of long-term stressors and health impacts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am incredibly excited for our program and thankful for our team at Waynesburg University. This program will allow us to continue the mission of Waynesburg in the community as we serve those who so selflessly serve others.”
“I am incredibly excited for our program and thankful for our team at Waynesburg University,” said Dr. Michelle Steimer, assistant professor of counseling. “This program will allow us to continue the mission of Waynesburg in the community as we serve those who so selflessly serve others.”
Facilitated through the University’s Graduate and Professional Studies Counseling Program, the program will provide a comprehensive training curriculum to healthcare workers, first responders, and similar professionals tasked with the care of others.
This training curriculum will not only aid in healthcare workers’ self-assessment and personal development, but also inform the daily work of providers with patients who have also suffered with increased mental health impacts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This program will provide a comprehensive training curriculum to individuals who have spent the last two years working long hours in difficult conditions while placing the care of others before themselves. I understand this strain firsthand as a counseling professional,” said Dr. Steimer, who also works as a counselor at a private practice in addition to her role at Waynesburg.
The University is partnering with community leaders, healthcare organizations, first responders, and private practices to form a coalition that will collaborate to address healthcare worker and first responder mental health and resiliency needs.
The primary means of training will be through an online training series that introduces content in three tiers:
• Tier 1: Foundational knowledge and skills regarding resiliency, suicide prevention, addictions, and burnout in the healthcare workforce;
• Tier 2: A profession-specific training for nurses/physicians, counselors, and first responders; and
• Tier 3: A Train-the-Trainer course for leaders and supervisors in identified healthcare organizations.
The University will also provide trainings for healthcare workers, as well as one community resilience event per year. Although the training series will be conducted online, in-person community events will be held on main campus in Waynesburg, and guest speaker events will be held at the Southpointe campus in Canonsburg.
Interested individuals and organizations can request more information on the upcoming training program online at waynesburg.edu/HWRTinfo. The program is open to enrollment from individuals and agencies throughout Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, with a focus on serving medically underserved areas.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,536,578.00 over a three-year period with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The award for the first year is $590,363.00, and the University will receive funding for subsequent years based on the success of year one.
The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
About Waynesburg University
Consistently ranked a best value school, Waynesburg University’s Strategy for the 21st Century affirms its commitment to developing an entrepreneurial mindset and ethical leadership skills for all students. Rooted in its mission of faith, learning and service, the private, Christian university is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with an additional site for graduate and professional programs in Southpointe.
Learn more
Interested individuals and organizations can request more information on the upcoming training program online. The program is open to enrollment from individuals and agencies throughout Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, with a focus on serving medically underserved areas.
