TOPPENISH, Wash. – Heritage University will discontinue the “Yakima Valley Grow Your Own Consortium” and the “Masters in Mental Health Counseling” programs. This decision, announced by the Department of Education, affects a joint program with Educational Service District 105.
The programs currently support 35 students pursuing careers in social work and mental health within local schools. With the termination of these programs, such pathways may become harder to access in the area.
Emily Nelson, Executive Director of Student Support at Educational Service District 105, expressed the need for local mental health training.
“We wanted clinicians to be trained and supported here in our valley and then stay in our valley to hopefully support our communities,” she said.
Federal funding for these programs, totaling $2.5 million, is set to end at the year’s conclusion, according to the Department of Education. Dr. Melissa Hill, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Heritage, explained the purpose behind these initiatives.
“We know that in K-12 schools we need to have counselors, we need to have social work. Without having counselors and social workers within in our schools, we’re asking so much more of our teachers to fill that void,” she stated.
Nelson emphasized the importance of these programs in the region.
“We really are in a mental health desert here. We’re in such a need of clinicians to be able to work with students and families in the community,” she said. “We know that we’re having a mental health crisis for our young people at this point in time and having care and providers who are able to provide youth-focused services is incredibly important.”
Despite the funding challenges, Hill expressed the university’s determination to continue the programs. Even without the funding, the university fully intends on continuing these programs, she said, adding that the Trump administration’s policies have made it difficult for those in education.
“This administration has attacked education. They are interpreting things differently than we’ve interpreted them in the past,” she said.
Nelson mentioned efforts to engage with the state attorney general to reverse the decision. If unsuccessful, funding will cease at the end of the year.
