Without Policy Action, Industry Likely to See Severe ‘Exodus of Behavioral Health Workers’

Without major public policy changes to bolster the behavioral health workforce, providers will fail to meet the demand for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services moving forward – even more so than now.

That’s according to a new survey conducted by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and The Harris Poll. The survey, released Tuesday, included responses from 750 behavioral health workers and over 2,000 U.S. adults. 

Photo credit: National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Specifically, more than four in five surveyed behavioral health workers said they worried that workforce shortages in the mental health and SUD fields will “negatively impact society as a whole.”

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Additionally, survey respondents reported concerns about patient access and increasing caseloads. Two-thirds of survey respondents said they have had an increased client caseload since the COVID-19 pandemic.

And more than seven in 10 reported increased client severity since the pandemic began.

“Behavioral health organizations are seeing an increase in the severity of cases, and a backlog of young people in need of care has led to more youth being seen in emergency departments,” National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia said in a statement. “Taking steps now to bolster the workforce through increased recruitment and retention efforts and the continued expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) will give organizations that provide mental health treatment and substance use care the resources they need to meet capacity.”

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By 2025, the U.S. will be short about 31,000 full-time equivalent mental health practitioners, the survey highlighted, citing data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

That figure could grow even more depending on provider burnout and the number of professionals leaving the industry. In the survey, 93% of respondents said they have experienced burnout, with 67% reporting they have experienced moderate to severe burnout.

In part, rising levels of burnout is tied to providers being taken away from their primary responsibility – caring for patients.

Photo credit: National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Administrative burden remains a major issue for providers, according to the survey. Nearly 70% of respondents that directly administer care to patients said the time spent on administrative tasks takes away from time they could directly be supporting patients.

Moreover, about a third of providers reported spending most of their time on administrative tasks.

These factors could impact the workforce at large in the upcoming years. Overall, nearly half of behavioral health workers said the impacts of the workforce shortage have caused them to consider other employment options.

To improve the workforce’s outlook, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing has identified numerous solutions. Those solutions include the creation of a national behavioral health workforce demo, increased funding for loan repayment programs, and further support the implementation and financing of CCBHCs.

Another solution would be the swift and comprehensive implementation of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, signed into law last year.

Survey respondents themselves additionally identified telehealth tools and apprenticeship programs as potentially useful solutions.

“It’s vital for the future of substance use care and mental health treatment that we have multiple avenues to attract and retain workers,” Reyna Taylor, senior vice president of public policy and advocacy at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, said in a statement. “So, we will continue to speak with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and promote programs that improve recruitment and retention and promote self-care among the current workforce.”

In the White House’s proposed 2024 budget, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will get $2.7 billion to train more than 18,000 behavioral health providers and expand community-based experimental opportunities.

Photo credit: National Council for Mental Wellbeing

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