LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Close to 2 million people in Michigan have a mental health condition, including 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 children who have experienced a need for mental health care, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
A new report from Inseparable, a health advocacy organization, shows that the mental health workforce is in a crisis.
The report finds that Michigan is meeting only about 40% of its mental health workforce needs, citing high education costs and low pay. As a result, patients who are in need of care can struggle to find resources quickly, and in some cases, struggle to find it at all.
“There’s financial barriers, there’s licensure and credentialing. You know it takes time and a lot of education to become a licensed professional. And then once you enter the field, you’re dealing with insurance barriers, as well as low insurance rates,” said Caitlin Hochul, senior vice president of policymaker relations at Inseparable.
Patients report going out of network for care nearly twice as often than for medical or surgical care.
“Having to wait weeks or months to find a provider, or be told there’s no one available in their state to be able to meet their needs. So their condition gets worse, they may experience a mental health crisis,” Hochul said.
She said this issue has been highlighted even more recently, due to the rise in the number of people who are seeking care.
“Over the last few years, there’s been a significant increase in demand for mental health care. So there’s higher rates of mental health conditions, there’s more people than ever before seeking care,” Hochul said.
Access to care is expanding in mid-Michigan. Last month, leaders from University of Michigan-Health Sparrow announced a new behavioral health hospital coming to Lansing. Margaret Dimond, the regional president, said it is aimed at addressing the sweeping needs within the Lansing community.
“If you look at behavioral health, mental health resources will be added that we previously didn’t have,” Dimond said.
The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects there will be a shortage of close to 100,000 mental health counselors in the country by 2038.
Hochul said one potential solution to get more workers in the field is to offer stipends or scholarships to help reduce the overall price of the educational costs these professionals have to take on.
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