The field of behavioral health is experiencing a shortfall of licensed providers. Community health workers (CHWs) and peer recovery specialists (PRSs) function as critical components of the workforce that can mitigate access and treatment gaps. Increasing demand for behavioral health services, exacerbated by the ongoing opioid epidemic, has intensified the need for addiction counselors (ACs),…
Providing behavioral health to inmates with mental health and substance abuse disorders in correctional facilities is important for helping to maintain a safe prison environment and reducing rates of recidivism once those inmates transition out of the prison system. However, due to behavioral health workforce shortages and other factors, most prisoners do not receive adequate…
Millions of Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition and deaths related to opioid misuse have been skyrocketing over the past 2 decades. The current behavioral health workforce tasked with addressing these issues is currently experiencing a shortage and projections foresee this shortage continuing in the coming years. However, the behavioral health workforce has…
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) provides assistance to provider organizations in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) in the form of loan repayments to providers who agree to work at eligible sites. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) invested $234 million in the NHSC, allowing them to provide support to over 14,000 providers. This report describes…
Many Americans do not have access to adequate care for mental health and substance use conditions due to living in mental health professional shortage areas, cost of care, or other factors. Telehealth is seen as a promising strategy for reducing costs and increasing access to care for patients. This report describes a study that utilized…
Many Nebraskans suffer from behavior health issues, but many in rural areas are not able to get the care they need due to socio-economic status, stigma, and the lack of qualified providers in areas that are geographically isolated. This report describes a study that examined behavioral health workforce data and conducted interviews with providers and…
There is broad consensus that the ubiquity of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States constitutes an epidemic. Medication assisted treatment (MAT), which utilizes medications alongside psychosocial treatments and services has been shown to be highly effective for treating OUD, but implementation is low. This report describes a study that utilized geospatial analysis to…
Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are a key component of behavioral health, but little is known about their job functions, practice settings, or demographic characteristics on a broad scale. This brief describes a pilot study that was conducted to test the effectiveness of a minimum data set (MDS) designed to collect MFT workforce data.
Social workers comprise the largest segment of the behavioral health workforce. As demand for behavioral health services continues to increase, more information about social workers and the development of better data collection methods will be needed. This brief describes a study that utilized a minimum data set (MDS) designed to collect data on social workers…
The supply of behavioral health providers has struggled in recent years to keep up with increased access to and demand for services. A Minimum Data Set (MDS) is a potential data collection solution for improved workforce planning needed to address the shortage. However, more information is needed about the efficacy and feasibility of using MDS…
