Mount Marty and community organizations partner to create Yankton’s Behavioral health Experiential Student Training Consortium

Mount Marty University is proud to announce Yankton’s Behavioral health Experiential Student Training (BEST): A Multi-Sector Consortium for High School Career Pathways in a Rural Upper Midwest Community. Yankton’s BEST aims to strengthen behavioral health education, prevention and workforce pathways in Yankton and the surrounding rural communities.

Yankton’s BEST is in the beginning stages of a three-year grant opportunity through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program and was created in collaboration with Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services, Mount Marty and the Yankton School District. More than $1 million was awarded to Avera Sacred Heart Hospital through this grant, and about $350,000 of the award is going to Mount Marty.

Mount Marty Dean of Undergraduate Studies Nicholas Shudak, Ph.D., said, “I am excited by this unique grant. Writing the grant with our partners was energizing. The process made me feel that we are truly trying to do something impactful for our region in the behavioral health field.”

Recently, Mount Marty hired Whitney Schroeder as the behavioral health education teacher and liaison for Yankton’s BEST. Schroeder will be building a curricular and experiential behavioral health pathway from middle school through high school and into postsecondary education. Schroeder, as a representative of Mount Marty University, will be working with the grant partners: Avera Sacred Heart, Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services and Yankton School District, as well as other organizations in town such as the Human Services Center to actively set up pathways for students at their location. As part of Schroeder’s work with the Yankton School District, she is scheduled to teach a dual-credit Psychology 101 course this fall at Yankton High School, as well as work within the high school to coordinate internships, clubs and other activities related to the behavioral health field.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to prepare future professionals in the mental health field,” Schroeder said. “Early in my career, I did not yet see the many paths and opportunities available within this field, and it took time to recognize the depth and fulfillment. This program is guided by a vision that students enter mental health by design, not by chance, seeing it as a vital and respected calling with the power to create meaningful, lasting change.”

“With great partners like Avera, the Yankton School District and Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health, I believe we can make a real difference,” Shudak said. “There will be challenges, as some of the deliverables are unique, but I’m excited to work alongside Mount Marty faculty, staff and our partners to help generate both interest and talent in this critical area for rural South Dakota.”

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Director of Volunteer Services and Project Director for the Yankton’s BEST grant Carla Hummel said, “I am very excited to help develop the pathways needed to get students interested in mental health careers. I look forward to the benefits that our community will receive through the three-year work plan associated with this grant.”

“Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services is proud to partner with Avera Sacred Heart, Yankton Public Schools and Mount Marty University to help middle and high school students discover meaningful behavioral health career pathways,” Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services Outpatient Therapist and Outpatient MH Director Liz Rembold said. “By engaging young people early, we’re building a stronger behavioral health workforce that can meet the needs of our rural communities and support the long-term well-being of the Yankton area.”

Yankton High School Principal Todd Dvoracek said, “Yankton High School is incredibly grateful for the partnerships developed through Yankton’s BEST, including our collaboration with Mount Marty University, Avera, and Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health. Together, we are creating meaningful opportunities for students to explore and become involved in behavioral health career pathways. This collaboration allows students to begin building interest and experience at the high school level, helping them develop a strong foundation for a lifelong career in this important field. Without these community partnerships, we simply could not provide the same level of support and opportunity for our students here in Yankton.”

Yankton Middle School Principal Heather Olson added, “Yankton Middle School is excited to be part of the Yankton’s BEST collaboration and the powerful impact it will have in connecting our students to future careers in mental health through community partnerships.”

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provided financial support for Yankton’s BEST at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. The award covers 100% of the total costs and totaled $1.147 million. The programming developed may not reflect the policies of HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops wellrounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.