FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OneQuest Health and Northern Kentucky University Partnership Secures $100,000 to Combat Mental Health Workforce Shortages
COVINGTON, KY – NOVEMBER 21, 2025 – A vital partnership between OneQuest Health and Northern Kentucky University (NKU) has secured $100,000 in funding to create scholarships aimed at addressing the critical shortage of mental healthcare professionals in Kentucky. The funding, awarded through the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s (CPE) Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (HWIF), will directly support students in NKU’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.
The partnership, which was awarded its full request of a $50,000 match from the HWIF (totaling $100,000 with the healthcare partner’s contribution), is a distinctive effort to directly funnel talent into a high-need area of the healthcare sector. Since the inception of HWIF, OneQuest Health has leveraged a total of $300,000 in funding specifically addressing mental healthcare workforce development in the region.
“We see this partnership with Northern Kentucky University as a game-changer,” said Rick Wurth, OneQuest Health CEO. “It’s incredibly important and truly distinctive for a provider like OneQuest Health to be collaborating directly with a state university to tackle the critical workforce shortages we face in mental healthcare. We are proud to be leading this effort for the Commonwealth.” The scholarship program is a direct response to the legislative intent of the HWIF, which is focused on growing the state’s healthcare workforce.
“This partnership ensures that more qualified, compassionate mental healthcare workers can enter the field at a time when demand has never been greater,” said Dr. Gannon Tagher, dean of NKU’s College of Health and Human Services. “We are incredibly grateful for this continued investment in our students and in Kentucky’s mental health workforce.”
The partnership will be formally recognized at the HWIF Awards Program on December 9th during the Healthcare Workforce Collaboratory in Lexington, KY. Further details regarding contract implementation and budget will be discussed with CPE in the coming weeks.
About OneQuest Health
OneQuest Health is dedicated to transforming America’s health by championing a proactive, integrated approach to physical and mental well-being. Built on the nearly 150-year legacy of CHNK Behavioral Health, OneQuest empowers individuals and communities to move beyond reactive care, fostering healthier, more resilient lives through a scalable, sustainable, and empathy-driven system of care. For fiscal year 2026, CHNK and now OneQuest are on track to perform 50,000 treatment services, representing 7,000 client impacts across Kentucky and parts of Ohio and Indiana.
About NKU
NKU is an entrepreneurial state university of more than 15,000 students on a thriving suburban campus nestled between Highland Heights, Kentucky and bustling downtown Cincinnati. Ranked in the top 65 out of nearly 600 universities nationwide by The Wall Street Journal for exceptional value, we are a regionally engaged university committed to delivering an innovative, student-centered education. We empower our graduates to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives, while contributing to the economic, civic and social vitality of the region. For more information, visit nku.edu.
Media Contact:
Rick Wurth, Chief Executive Officer
OneQuest Health
859-292-4177
rwurth@onequesthealth.org
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