The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, VA (VR) — Mountain Gateway Community College (MGCC) has been named one of seven community colleges within Virginia’s “rural horseshoe” selected to receive funding through the state’s $5.93 million Rural Health Transformation Fund (RHTF) allocation. MGCC will deploy its portion of the funding to directly expand academic instruction and career pathways for future behavioral health workers across the region.
Developed in response to ongoing needs identified by regional community service boards and local hospitals, MGCC’s program addresses critical shortages in mental health services. By leveraging the state’s Transfer Virginia initiative, the college lets students complete foundational coursework locally and then seamlessly transfer credits toward four-year bachelor’s or master’s degrees required for careers in psychology, social work, and counseling.
“When we think about healthcare, we cannot overlook mental health. Rural communities deserve access to a strong behavioral health workforce just as much as any other healthcare profession,” said Dr. Ben Worth, Vice President of Academic Affairs at MGCC.
The college will target the $50,000 RHTF grant toward three primary initiatives:
• High School Dual-Enrollment: Building early-college pathways to raise awareness of behavioral health careers and allow high school students to earn degree-applicable credits before graduation.
• Instructional Hiring: Adding qualified faculty to expand specialized coursework and scale up program capacity.
• Career Advancement for Existing Workers: Structuring flexible, part-time academic schedules so current healthcare workers without a bachelor’s degree can continue higher education while remaining employed.
By establishing an accessible local educational pipeline, MGCC aims to recruit, train, and retain essential behavioral health professionals within the surrounding rural communities.
The Virginia rural horseshoe is a section of the state that stretches from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, winds through Southwest and Southside Virginia, and ends in the mountain region near Winchester. There are eighteen community colleges within that area. Of the ten that applied during the first wave of funding, seven received awards.
ABOUT MGCC: Founded in 1962 and located in the Alleghany Highlands region of Central Virginia, Mountain Gateway Community College (MGCC) is a two-year public institution of higher education and one of 23 community colleges in Virginia.
Mountain Gateway Community College operates two educational campuses, the Clifton Forge campus and the Rockbridge Regional Center in Buena Vista. MGCC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees.
Mountain Gateway Community College is supported by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Northern Botetourt, and Rockbridge; the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, and Lexington. For more information about Mountain Gateway Community College, please visit MGCC.edu
