The McNabb Center, the largest provider of mental health services in East Tennessee, has endowed a scholarship in the University of Tennessee College of Social Work.

The Helen Ross McNabb Center Endowed Scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students who have an interest in community mental health. It will provide tuition assistance to two students each year.

“We want to encourage social work students who are considering careers serving in community mental health agencies,” said McNabb CEO and President Mona Blanton-Kitts.

Blanton-Kitts, who received BSSW and MSSW degrees from the College of Social Work, began her career at McNabb as a caseworker. She was named CEO in 2022.

During her tenure, McNabb has charted record growth. The agency now has over 1000 employees serving in 30 counties. Its 15 outpatient centers serve over 45,000 people in East Tennessee.

“The education of professional social workers is essential to our mission of improving the lives of the people we serve,” Blanton-Kitts said. “As the mental health challenges in our area continue to increase, we want to ensure that students have the tuition assistance they need to complete their degrees, enter the workforce, and begin meeting these community needs.”

“We’re grateful for this wonderful new resource for our students,” Dean Lori Messinger said. “We are proud of our long partnership with the McNabb Center and look forward to continued collaboration as we work together to serve our community.”