Ohio Department of

Mental Health & Addiction Services

Great Minds Fellows

Congratulations, Great Minds Fellows, on your dedication to community mental & behavioral health!

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Health Impact Ohio (HIO) to support graduates of the Great Minds Fellowship program. Beginning November 1, 2024, eligible graduates can apply for recruitment and retention bonuses totaling $10,000, aimed at bolstering Ohio’s behavioral health workforce. This is the final phase of the Great Minds Fellowship program.

The Great Minds Fellowship program, designed to increase the number of Ohioans entering behavioral health professions, offers an important pathway for graduates to gain practical experience and join community behavioral health centers (CBHCs) certified by OhioMHAS. Health Impact Ohio, as the program’s vendor, will facilitate the application process and ensure that qualified graduates receive their recruitment and retention bonuses.

Under this initiative, eligible Great Minds Fellowship program graduates will receive:

•      A $5,000 sign-on bonus upon accepting a position at a OhioMHAS licensed CBHC.

•      An additional $5,000 bonus after completing one year of employment at a CBHC. 

A partnership between OhioMHAS, Department of Higher Education, and the Department of Medicaid, the Great Minds Fellowship is ideal for students looking to make a difference and contribute to growing Ohio’s behavioral health workforce. The program will help students jump start a successful future in their chosen career path while allowing communities across Ohio to better care for those living with mental health and substance abuse disorders.

The Great Minds Fellowship Workforce Commitment Incentive Program provides loan repayment on behalf of new graduates who commit to working at one of Ohio’s Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) for at least one year of full-time employment.

Click here to read the November 2024 Great Minds Fellowship Press Release

Great Minds Fellowship Recruitment & Rentention Bonus Payment Program Process:

  • Step 1:

    Please complete this form to begin your application process.

  • Step 2:

    A member of Team HIO will email you upon receipt of this electronic form and issue you a letter regarding the program. This letter will include instructions for uploading the following documents to our upload center:

    1. A W-9 form filled out by you, dated for the year of application

    2. A verification form signed by your employer

    3. A secure electronic funds transfer form filled out by you

    4. First paystubs verifying employment

    5. Great Minds Fellowship Verification Documentation

    6. For confirmed Great Minds Workforce Commitment Incentive recipients, please provide a copy of your promissory note provided by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

    7. For graduated Great Minds Fellows, please provide a copy of your student agreement form you signed from your educational institution.

    If you are a graduated Great Minds Fellow, and a qualifying Great Minds Workforce Commitment Incentive recipient, a copy of the signed student agreement or the promissory note is acceptable.

    *Note to applicants who were not a Great Minds Fellowship participant in their Undergraduate or Graduate programs, but qualifies for the Great Minds Workforce Commitment Incentive program offered through the Ohio Department of Higher Education:

    -Once you have recieved a confirmation via promissory note from the Ohio Department of Higher Education, please submit using the upload link provided in the letter we send in response to your application.

  • Step 3:

    Once these items are received by HIO, an initial hire payment of $5,000 will be sent within 10 business days to your designated account. Please note that this income is reportable and taxable. You will receive a 1099 tax document from HIO by January 31st of the next calendar year of receiving funds.

  • Step 4:

    At one year of employment with the same community behavioral health employer, you will fill out this form (to be released). Again, Team HIO will send you a letter and ask for similar verification documents including:

    -A W-9 form filled out by you, dated for the year of second submission (if the one year mark is different than the calendar year of initial employment)

    -A verification form signed by your employer of employment for one year

    -A secure electronic funds transfer form filled out by you (if your account has changed in the last year)

    -Latest paystubs verifying 1 year of employment