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Senate approves bill to create bachelor's-level behavioral health workforce and psychology internships
Summary
Senator Winn rose in strong support of Senate Bill 165, saying the bill "creates a brand new, Nevada grown, new workforce to help tackle our mental and behavioral health crisis, especially when it comes to our young kids."
Senator Winn rose in strong support of Senate Bill 165, saying the bill "creates a brand new, Nevada grown, new workforce to help tackle our mental and behavioral health crisis, especially when it comes to our young kids." The legislation creates a bachelor's-level degree pathway and funds psychology internship positions intended to keep trainees in Nevada.
Supporters told the Senate the program mirrors clinical residency models used in medical education and would pair classroom instruction with in‑field training through partnerships with schools, nonprofits and medical providers. "They were creating a brand new profession and that's exactly what senate bill 1 65 does," Winn said, noting institutional participation from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Nevada, Reno and Great Basin.
The Senate adopted finance committee amendment 8 23, which the chair said "adds section 79.5, requiring the division of healthcare financing and policy of the Department of Health and Human Services to transfer 68,705 from the account to improve health care quality and assess access in state general fund, and authorizes the expenditure of a hundred and $15,171 in fiscal year 27 to the Nevada Medicaid budget account to carry out the provisions of the act." The sponsor and supporters characterized the appropriations as drawn from opioid funds and provider-fee sources rather than the state general fund.
Debate on the floor emphasized workforce retention. Winn described seven recent graduates who left Nevada because the state lacked internship or residency opportunities and said SB165 would create three in-state internship slots "allowing us to keep those Nevadans that we have trained here in our schools to stay here and work in Nevada." There was no recorded floor opposition during the roll call.
On final consideration the Senate recorded 20 yes votes and 0 no votes; the motion was declared passed and the bill was ordered to the Assembly.
