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Senate hears bill to create new pathways and internships for children's behavioral-health workforce
Summary
Senate Bill 165 would create degree and credential pathways, support APA-accredited psychology internships in Nevada, and rely on opioid settlement funds and Medicaid provider assessment transfers for initial funding; sponsors said the changes would help retain Nevada-trained clinicians.
Senate Bill 165, presented by Senator Rochelle Wynne, would establish new education and credential pathways to grow Nevada's children's mental and behavioral health workforce, fund internships and support accreditation of psychology residency (internship) programs in state universities. Sponsor and proponents emphasized a workforce shortage in child-focused behavioral health and the lack of any American Psychological Association (APA) accredited psychology internships in Nevada.
Michelle Paul, assistant vice president of mental and behavioral health at UNLV Practice, told the committee that UNLV has seven doctoral students specializing in child psychology who would need an accredited internship year for licensure and currently must leave the state for that training. "There are no APA-accredited psychology internships in Nevada," Paul said, and UNLV Practice is positioned to create the first APA-accredited pediatric psychology residency training program in the state.
Proponents described a package of program elements: micro-credentialing, a bachelor's-level pathway to expand early-intervention workforce capacity, graduate-level certificates for practicing clinicians and establishment of APA-accredited internship positions. The sponsor and proponents noted a conceptual amendment to fund initial work with money from the Fund for Resilient Nevada (opioid settlement funds) rather than State General Fund; they also described a transfer of provider assessment revenues to cover Medicaid-related costs.
Multiple university representatives, the Nevada System of Higher Education and school-of-social-work faculty testified in support and offered technical suggestions (including adding the School of Public Health and related centers). Supporters argued the bill would both "home grow" workforce and create clinical internship positions to retain graduates.
The committee discussed allocation mechanics and the reliance on opioid settlement and provider assessment funding for non-general-fund start-up costs. No committee vote was recorded during the hearing.
