IN a letter to the Legislature’s presiding officers on Monday, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said he supports a bill to establish a behavioral health scholarship for CNMI residents.
According to Senate Bill 22-05, authored by Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider, the scholarship will be administered by the CNMI Scholarship Office.
Governor Torres emphasized the importance of creating a healthier CNMI with more residents becoming psychologists, counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.
He said the bill “will not only provide assistance to CNMI residents that are looking to further their education in the field of behavioral health, but also ensure that the CNMI will attain much-needed behavioral professionals to help our community.”
He added, “Through this scholarship, it is my hope that we become a healthier CNMI through the acquired knowledge and skills that CNMI residents availing of this program will use to help in the prevention and reduction of behavioral health related to substance abuse, suicide, and criminal activities.”
He said, as seen “throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of behavioral health issues has worsened, causing a mental illness and substance addiction crisis that must be addressed by the psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, counselors, social workers, and substance abuse professionals who are qualified to do so.”
The governor said the proposed scholarship award will be reviewed and monitored by the CNMI Scholarship Office. This will provide a means of accountability and assurance that the recipient of the scholarship award will return to the CNMI after graduation to join the local workforce, he added.
The governor said he is hoping that the Legislature “will look favorably upon this…legislation as this is a solution that will ultimately provide the people of our Commonwealth with critical behavioral health assistance at a time that it is greatly needed.”
The bill states that scholarship awards “will be funded from CNMI scholarship educational/assistance funds when the requisite Behavioral Health professional scholarship funds are included in the annual appropriations of the CNMI Scholarship Office.”
Ralph DLG Torres
