SE Grand Rapids News

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health care positions were difficult to fill in the state of Michigan, and it’s become an even more urgent issue during the pandemic, according to reporting by Bridge Michigan.

Mental health administrator Susan Kozak runs Community Care Services in Detroit. Her agency has more than a dozen job openings that desperately need to be filled -- from case managers for children and adults to therapists, substance abuse clinicians, and nurse practitioners. The organization serves thousands of children, adults and families in metro Detroit.

“It’s the No. 1 thing I worry about,” Kozak, the agency’s executive director, told Bridge Michigan. “We can’t start programs. We can’t expand programs. Our caseloads are through the roof. We are not meeting client needs.”

Recruitment and retaining behavioral health workers in multiple specialties has been difficult, but the problem goes back to 2019. The pandemic has put increased strain on people of all ages and has further strained a system that’s not equipped to help those who need it. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a survey showing that young adults 18 to 24 are twice as likely to report new or increased substance abuse or suicidal thoughts as adults 25 and older.

An analysis in 2019 by Altarum found that Michigan's treatment network had problems.

“The pandemic has exacerbated the situation to the point where (lack of mental health care) is near epidemic proportions,” Kevin Fischer, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told Bridge Michigan.

To improve the situation, there are a few things that advocates say could better serve the communities that need help.

One idea is the expansion of federal loan programs for primary care medical and behavioral health professionals who would be willing to work in underserved areas for a minimum of two years. Another idea is the expansion and support of the state-funded MIDOCs program to broaden residency positions in a variety of medical specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatry.

A third solution is increasing salaries for direct care workers, which could improve mental health care for underserved communities. With a shortage of 34,000 direct care workers in Michigan, a $2 hourly boost for home health care workers -- which has been proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer -- could make a difference. The temporary boost was first approved in December but will expire at the end of this month.