The increase was part of a $10 million allocation, which included $7 million for mental health services and $3 million specifically for substance use disorder (SUD) providers. Notable examples include Iowa, Maine, Montana, and Vermont, which aim to increase access to behavioral health services through these adjustments. Additionally, it increased the number of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), enabling CCBHCs to provide services to anyone in need of mental health or substance use care, irrespective of their insurance coverage.
“From care portals and universal screenings to improved coordination of service delivery and increased statewide capacity, we are laying out a plan to build the best behavioral health system in the nation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. Today, Governor JB Pritzker along with state and local officials celebrated the launch of a new Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center, which will increase Illinois’ capacity to recruit, educate, and retain behavioral health professionals. Governor Inslee tasked the agency with assessing workforce needs across behavioral health disciplines and charged them with creating an action plan to address these needs. Within already appropriated resources, the Office of the Student Loan Advocate should conduct outreach to eligible behavioral health employers and assess if additional staff support is needed to serve demand.
We make education journeys into allied health careers possible by growing the talent that employers need and creating a path to opportunity that workers want. Futuro Health’s nonprofit mission is to improve the health and wealth of communities by growing the largest network of allied healthcare workers in the nation. “For the first time in generations,” they write, “the workforce challenges in behavioral health have the focused attention of legislative and executive branch leaders in many states… States should seize this moment to learn from each other’s policy decisions, strengthen their workforces, and share the outcomes with each other.”
Expanding the Direct Support, Peer Support, and Family Advocacy Workforces
- The legislation, which represents the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ health care pillar, took sweeping action to address health inequities and social determinants of health.
- Through strategic investments in education, training, credentialing, expansions of scope, and more, states are laying the foundation for a more robust and diverse behavioral health workforce.
- Successfully advancing workforce development strategies to improve supply, distribution and allocation requires collaboration among key partners in the behavioral health ecosystem.
- The Center builds upon the state’s commitment to behavioral health transformation, strengthening behavioral health care infrastructure and access across the state.
Peer support groups allow professionals to share experiences and learn from one another. Professionals must How Right Now: Mental Health Resources adapt to telehealth, mobile apps, and virtual support groups. Professionals should have options for lateral moves that allow them to explore different roles within behavioral health. Prioritizing self-care and resilience benefits both professionals and their patients.
How States Can Partner with Businesses to Support Recovery-Friendly Workplaces
The Children’s Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board has recently endorsed a project to be led by CHDI, with funding from DCF, to develop recommendations and an accompanying action plan to expand family and youth peer supports within the children’s behavioral health workforce. To improve access to behavioral health services, some states have developed programs focused on supporting behavioral health professionals who reflect the population they are serving. The current behavioral health workforce may not adequately represent the demographic composition of the population it supports, potentially affecting the accessibility and delivery of culturally competent care. States are building stronger collaborative relationships with higher education, health care, and community organizations to align programming and improve workforce development. As of March 2024, more than $117 million had been awarded to over 2,300 providers serving 175 communities, further strengthening the state’s behavioral health workforce and expanding access to quality care. In this paper, we describe policy opportunities to sustain behavioral health workforce growth to meet demand while supporting fair wages, labor protections, and rigorous training.
Burnout is a significant concern in behavioral health, and addressing it directly enhances retention. Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach, combining practical training, support systems, and innovative retention strategies. Professionals may hesitate to seek help for their own mental health needs due to fear of judgment. Financial incentives, career development opportunities, and work-life balance initiatives play a pivotal role.
Scope of Practice Changes
States are making significant investments to expand access to behavioral health services and address workforce shortages and maldistribution. Global models for task sharing, combined with U.S.-led studies of nonspecialists delivering interventions for depression and anxiety, support the development of this workforce in a stepped care system. Recruiting and selecting students who are willing to commit to post-graduation employment for at least 36 (or 18) months in a target community behavioral health agency or tribal health center. Although each NSP role has its unique historic roots and is regulated somewhat differently in the United States, behavioral health researchers and policymakers have proposed increasing all of these NSP provider types to expand the workforce. “We have been facing a workforce crisis in mental health for years due to a shortage of behavioral health specialists. The creation of the Center is a milestone in a long-term plan to address the behavioral health workforce emergency.