While Massachusetts and its hospital community have made progress expanding treatment services and available beds for behavioral health patients across the state, the state’s healthcare system faces a persistent shortage of behavioral healthcare workers. Now, MHA-endorsed priority legislation is proposing a step to help resolve the issue.
From January 2015 through the end of 2017, more than 1,100 licensed beds for psychiatric and substance use disorder services have been added to the Massachusetts healthcare system. An additional 500 new beds specifically reserved for treating individuals with both substance use disorder and mental health disorders are anticipated to open in the next five years. And the state’s effort to address the opioid epidemic depends on a skilled clinical workforce with knowledge of behavioral health issues.
Yet, while the state has a respectable “licensed capacity” for behavioral health services, its “staffed capacity” of psychiatrists, psychologists, behavioral health-trained nurses, and other such caregivers is lacking.
SD1490/HD3633, An Act Establishing a Behavioral Health Workforce Commission, sponsored by Sen. Cindy Freidman (D-Arlington) and Rep. Liz Malia (D-Boston) would create a 23-member panel to look into the issue and make recommendations. It would have a specific mission, involving: assessing the current workforce landscape by service type, setting, and geography; identifying existing barriers; and assessing how commercial and public behavioral health wage rates affect the ability to recruit and retain behavioral health providers.
The commission will look at, among other things: loan forgiveness and scholarships for all providers in the behavioral health field; the inclusion of behavioral health curriculum earlier in medical training and education; creating programs to encourage registered nurses to work in psychiatric settings; increasing the number of psychiatric clinical sites for nursing students; and expanding the scope of practice for mental health clinicians and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Its report and recommendations would be due no later than one year from passage of the law.
“Workforce is part of every conversation between the hospital community and policymakers when discussing the overall behavioral healthcare landscape in the commonwealth,” said Leigh Simons Youmans, MHA’s Director of Behavioral Health & Healthcare Policy. “We believe this legislation will provide a sharp focus on this issue, with a distinct roadmap for progress.”
According to the proposed legislation, the commission would be composed of representatives from state government, the psychiatric community, hospitals, physicians, social workers, registered nurses, psychologists, addiction experts, and insurers among others.