BH Fellows Program

Apply to the BH Fellows Program

Apply for a full-time job with:

  • up to $25,000 towards bachelor's degree student loan repayment or up to $45,000 towards master’s degree student loan repayment (tax-free)* - Please review BH Fellows Program Tax Memo(PDF, 89KB)
  • competitive pay, and
  • training and professional development through a cohort model

We work closely with applicants to ensure that their resumes get reviewed by hiring managers and/or Human Resource recruiter for program eligible roles at the following participating providers.

Full-time employment is provided by local behavioral health service agencies:

  • Allegheny Children’s Initiative
  • Familylinks
  • Human Services Administration Organization
  • Pittsburgh Mercy
  • Pressley Ridge
  • Resolve Crisis Services
  • Southwood Psychiatric Hospital
  • Staunton Clinic
  • UPMC Mon Yough
  • Wesley Family Services
  • Western Psychiatric Hospital

Accepting Applications for 2024!  New Hires & Existing Staff encouraged to apply!

Apply Now to join Cohort #4 ~ Accepting applications until November 27th
Must start work in an eligible role by January 31, 2024

Apply Now to join Cohort #5 ~ Accepting applications until February 1, 2024
Must start work in an eligible role by May 31, 2024

In order to qualify for loan repayment, the Bachelor’s/Master’s degree associated with the loans for which you are requesting repayment must be completed prior to when you begin work in an eligible role


BH Fellows Program Q&A Sessions

Please join us and get your questions answered.


If you receive an award, you must work two years in a

Review the BH Fellows Program Executive Summary(PDF, 804KB)

Apply Now

Apply here to the 2024 BH Fellows Program.

Additional cohorts will be added in 2024.


Application Assistance


Are you a current staff member working for a BH Provider that serves MA/HealthChoices members in Allegheny County?

Am I eligible?

Review these BH Fellows requirements to find out:

  1. You are eligible if you either
    • received your bachelor’s degree or master’s degree and have qualifying educational loan debt; or
    • received your high school diploma or equivalent
      and
  2. You work full time or intend to work full time in both
    • A BH Fellows-participating BH service provider in Allegheny County; and
    • In a Target Service Area

Note: for BH Fellows applicants seeking loan repayment, we give funding preference to qualified applicants who need the most help financially

Why Should I Apply?

The BH Fellows Program offers Fellows these core components:

  • A financially sustainable job that makes a difference.
    • BH Fellows will increase access to critically important behavioral health care to the County’s most vulnerable.
    • The jobs that are eligible for this program must meet minimum salary standards.
  • Funds for educational loan repayment or free access to a professional certificate program. The BH Fellows program provides funds for loan repayment (up to $25,000 for a bachelor’s degree and up to $45,000 for a master’s degree) or free access to a professional certificate program.
  • Ongoing training and professional development through a cohort model. While Fellows are employed by program-sponsoring providers in Allegheny County, BH Fellows within a cohort will come together at least quarterly through the two-year service term for professional development and team-building experiences to support Fellows’ continuous learning, professional relationships, and growth; and
  • A Supervisory Learning Community and Training Program for fellows who fulfill their two-year service obligation in a program-eligible supervisory role.

Why is the BH Fellows Program Important?

There continues to be a critical need for staff in high-need BH service areas to enhance access and ease wait-times for behavioral health services to Allegheny County residents and families. BH Fellows helps to address these issues.

What is a Target Service Area?

A BH Fellows Target Service Area(PDF, 147KB) is a level of behavioral health care that is lacking enough staff capacity to meet the needs of the Allegheny County community. The 2023 Target Service Areas include:

  • Blended Service Coordination
  • Family Based Mental Health
  • Child- Diversion and Acute Stabilization
  • Crisis Services
  • Targeted Case Management – SUD
  • Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment

What is a Program-Participating Provider?

A program-participating provider is a provider with a current Community Care Behavioral Health contract in Allegheny County to deliver services in at least on Target Service Area that agreed to sponsor BH Fellows and host and employ BH Fellow-employees.

What Help is Available to Support My Search for a Program Eligible Job?

Once you are selected to participate in BH Fellows, to assist you in obtaining an offer in a BH Fellows Program- eligible job, DHS invites you to submit your resume to DHS.

Please check this page again in late April 2023 for instructions on submitting your resume to DHS for support in connecting with a BH Fellows-sponsoring employer-provider.

DHS will serve as a recruiter and networker in connecting you to provider-employers with BH Fellows-eligible job vacancies.

Note: even if you send your resume to DHS, you will still need to submit your job application directly to the provider-employer.

It is your responsibility to obtain an employment offer from a BH Fellows-participating provider in a program-eligible role.

Review sample job descriptions(PDF, 124KB) for eligible roles.

A List of Current Eligible Roles – Apply directly with a BH Fellows-sponsoring provider using the links below:

resolve Crisis Services – UPMC

Pressley Ridge

Western Psychiatric Hospital

Allegheny Children’s Initiative

How to Contact Us

Applicants to the BH Fellows program: bhfellows@jhf.org

Providers: DHS-BHFellowsProviders@alleghenycounty.us