National Council members receive 30% off licensure exam prep resources and job board services! For additional details or questions about their accredited degree programs leading to an MA in Counseling, please contact LeAnn Brown. In a major effort to expand health equity across Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Health Care and Human Services Reform Act into law in 2021. The resolution declaring a workforce emergency was unanimously adopted by House lawmakers. The Behavioral Health Workforce Center and consortium of higher education partners will be innovative, collaborative, and sustainable. Scholars and prospective scholars—please direct all questions and concerns to
How States Can Partner with Businesses to Support Recovery-Friendly Workplaces
These insights provide ideas for states to modernize workforce strategies and enhance access to high-quality behavioral health care. Additionally, over 13 states have established workforce centers at academic institutions to enhance their understanding of and capacity to develop the behavioral health workforce. Data-driven insights are critical for informing policy decisions and investments in the behavioral health workforce. Successfully advancing workforce development strategies to improve supply, distribution and allocation requires collaboration among key partners in the behavioral health ecosystem.
Behavioral health workforce development: Building a Resilient Workforce: Training and Retention in Behavioral Health
Addressing the behavioral health workforce shortage requires a multi-faceted approach that goes beyond increasing the number of clinicians. As states have continued to expand mental health crisis systems following the launch of 988 and the enhanced Medicaid match opportunity for mobile crisis services, states have implemented strategies to further integrate peers into crisis response systems. Additionally, a variety of technological tools can support healthcare delivery and planning at all levels, including within state government.
Training programs should move beyond didactic lectures and incorporate experiential learning. When professionals feel respected, they are more likely to stay. Encourage professionals to take on supervisory roles and participate in decision-making processes. These networks create a sense of community and combat feelings of isolation. Implement referral bonuses or recognition programs to motivate employees to actively participate in recruitment efforts.
- Whether your organization needs to strengthen internal capacity, support your staff, or build talent pipelines across your state, we bring the experience and tools to make it happen.
- Our highly supportive education programs have enabled thousands of diverse Scholars to transition successfully into healthcare careers regardless of their educational background.
- “Investments like these are critical to the health and well-being of people across Illinois, and as lawmakers, we must continue to bolster our behavioral and mental health response so that those in need have the opportunity to receive care that improves their quality of life.”
Increasing State Funding of Behavioral Health Services
Many state BHWCs, such as those in Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, are funded through state general funds to support behavioral health workforce development. The Behavioral Health Workforce Center Alliance (BHWCA) is a national network of behavioral health workforce development centers from across the United States. Though they offer a high return on investment in behavioral health services, peer support workers are often stuck in low-wage roles with limited opportunity for career progression. Against this backdrop, the Massachusetts Healthcare Collaborative sought to identify and address challenges in the state’s healthcare workforce pipeline, starting with peer support workers.
States are also integrating Community Health Workers (CHWs) into the behavioral health field and can explore value-based models to fund CHWs and other team members as part of interdisciplinary care teams. By simplifying paperwork, automating routine tasks, and enhancing communication channels, providers can focus more on delivering quality care rather than navigating complex administrative hurdles, ultimately improving patient outcomes and workforce efficiency. For example, Table A – Practitioner Detail in Georgia’s Medicaid provider manual provides a clear framework by outlining the behavioral health professionals eligible How Right Now: Mental Health Resources to work in various settings and detailing their reimbursement rates. Nebraska’s Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN), created by the Legislature in 2009 (LB603) and updated in 2021 (LB1068), was an early example of state-funded workforce development.
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