The Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage

How Chester County is addressing a national concern

BY TRACY BEHRINGER

Anyone who has endured a long wait time to get an appointment with a mental health counselor has firsthand experience with the mental health workforce shortage. Long wait times to see a therapist or other professional were a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past year, as the demand for mental health service has significantly increased, the problem has gotten worse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that mental health conditions are among the most common conditions in the United States, with one in five Americans experiencing a mental illness in any given year. The Center also reports that more than half of all Americans will experience a mental health condition at some time in their lifetime. It’s a concern that Community Care Behavioral Health (Community Care), Pennsylvania’s largest not-for-profit behavioral health managed care organization, is addressing head-on. Community Care contracts with many mental health and drug and alcohol treatment providers in Chester County and is focused on how to meet the challenges of the workforce shortage in a number of ways. They and Chester County’s Department of Human Services collaborated to create a Workforce Development Committee in 2021. The team is implementing different approaches to address the problem.

Matthew Hurford, MD, a psychiatrist and the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Community Care, says the workforce shortage is a multi-faceted problem that needs a multifaceted solution.

“There have been enormous changes in the field since the start of the pandemic,” Hurford said.

Understanding and finding ways to address employee stress and burnout that reached crisis levels since the pandemic began is vital. But Hurford notes that other challenges include kinks in the workforce pipeline such as the 5% decrease in undergraduate enrollment in colleges and universities, which occurred between 2009 and 20191, the slowdown of post-secondary students taking classes during the pandemic2, overall recruitment and retention efforts, and strengthening and supporting leadership in the behavioral health field.

“We know that people in this field need to have a real sense of purpose and know they are having an impact. Workers also want to be able to operate at the top of their license, have a sense of autonomy and not feel regulatory burdens,” Hurford said.

Romani George, MD, a Board-Certified Psychiatrist and Senior Medical Director at Community Care, would agree with Hurford’s assessment. Having worked as an attending psychiatrist at a community mental health center in Philadelphia and at a crisis center and acute psychiatric inpatient hospital in Norristown during her almost 30-year career, George says she got into psychiatry to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

“My first psychiatry rotation drew me in,” George recalled. When she finished her residency at Temple University Hospital, she worked for a mobile crisis unit which allowed her to see a wide continued on page 22 >

1 National Center for Education Statistics. (2021, May). Postsecondary education: Undergraduate enrollment. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha 2 National Center for Education Statistics. (2021, May). Postsecondary education: Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on fall plans for postsecondary education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tpb?tid=74

EVERYONE HAS A STORY

PANEL DISCUSSIONS DESIGNED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FIELD

PERSONAL CAREER PATH STORIES FROM EXPERTS IN THE FIELD

SCHEDULE YOUR EVENT TODAY

Contact: Julie Miller at millerj31@upmc.edu to schedule a panel discussion

Chester County Department of Human Services, in collaboration with Community Care Behavioral Health, is excited to offer your students an opportunity to hear personal career path stories from experts in the behavioral health field.

• Psychiatrists • Project Coordinators • Program Directors • Chester County Probation • Clinical Supervisors

The High School Initiative is designed to support the system of care through enhancement of workforce development and diversity within Chester County. This initiative aims to introduce high school students to careers in the mental health field while empowering them to begin their career paths through volunteer activities, clubs, and mental health advocacy.

The Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage

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range of need and situations. “It was very rewarding. I got to know my patients very well. I remember so many of them from my early days,” she said. “They enriched my life, and I felt like I was having a positive impact on their lives.”

In the past decade there have been numerous reports and calls to action about the declining number of psychiatrists nation-wide, as well as projections that the country will be short between 14,280 and 31,091 psychiatrists by 20243. It’s a trend Amy Herschell, Ph.D., has been watching for the past decade. The Senior Director of Research Strategy and Outcomes Management for Community Care, Herschell says they have learned a lot about what organizations can do to recruit and retain their workforce. Some of the responses, such as a focus on leadership, employee wellness, and making sure workers feel compensated and appreciated, come as no surprise.

“Providers have learned a lot through the pandemic and have become more nimble. They’re using innovative strategies to recruit and retain staff,” Herschell said.

Some evolution in this complex system of care, from increased access to telehealth and apps, to increased preventative screening and more integration of physical and behavioral health, are all part of the multi-faceted approach to the problem, Hurford said.

Chester County’s Workforce Development Committee has been working on other ways to increase awareness about job opportunities and encourage individuals to consider various career paths in the behavioral health field. The group has held two job fairs since they began, and they are currently doing outreach to colleges and universities in the region. The goal is to create relationships and connections for internships and collaborations.

The committee has also been in touch with local high schools to offer career panels that will introduce and expose students to various careers in the field.

“The panels are designed so that students can hear the personal career path stories from the professionals in the field,” said Tyree Lewis, Director of Quality Management for Chester County’s Department of Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and one of the Workforce Committee co-chairs. To schedule a career panel, pursue internship information or find out about the next job fair, contact Lewis at tylewis@chesco.org or his co-chair, Julie Miller, Manager of Special Projects at Community Care, at millerj31@upmc.edu.

Behavioral health workers hold a wide array of jobs. A small sample is depicted in the circles on page 21. For more information on the types of jobs currently available, contact the Chester County Workforce Development Committee at the email addresses above, or contact PA CareerLink, Chester County, http://www.pacareerlinkchesco.org/.