The federal government is sending $4 million to New York to help increase the mental health care workforce in the state after more than two years of a public health crisis that has highlighted the need to bolster the field. 

The money is meant to support students who are underrepresented in mental health degree programs at New York's public colleges and university campaigns. Both the State University of New York and City University of New York systems are set to receive $2 million to support tuition assistance, paid internships and stipends for minority students and students who speak multiple languages. 

"As we continue to strengthen our health care system in New York, we must ensure that we build a diverse and inclusive workforce," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "This partnership will provide incentives for underrepresented students to enroll or remain in mental health programs - helping diversify our future workforce and ensure that all communities are well-served by our public health care system."

The hope is minority health care providers will be able to provide more support for meeting the needs of underserved populations in the state and diversify the workforce. 

"At SUNY, we are not only educating and training the future professionals of the mental health field, but also recognizing the need for those professionals to represent the wide array of people they will be serving," said Deborah Stanley, the interim chancellor of the State University of New York. "Oftentimes, a barrier to care for our students and others seeking mental health care is not having access to a practitioner that can relate to or intimately understand their struggles."