The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) recently released a 22-point, multi-year plan aimed at strengthening the state’s behavioral health workforce, which it said will help to strengthen and grow the state’s wellness workforce. Implementation of this plan will help ensure timely access to prevention, treatment, and recovery support for the growing number of Ohioans seeking help for a mental health or substance use disorder, the agency said.

“Ohio doesn’t have enough trained, qualified professionals to meet needs of people of all ages seeking mental health and addiction care across the state,” said OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss. “Lack of workforce is the number one challenge we hear from behavioral health employers in Ohio, and it’s the number one barrier to care across the country. Gov. DeWine has made it clear that Ohio has an opportunity and an obligation to lead on innovative strategies to recruit and retain more Ohioans into these careers that are a vital part of our healthcare system.”

OhioMHAS said the foundation for development of the roadmap dates to 2021, when it contracted with a consultant to compile and analyze baseline data on Ohio’s behavioral health workforce and prepare a report that eventually guided the development of a plan to address systemic workforce needs. The report revealed that while demand for behavioral health services soared 353 percent from 2013-2019, the available workforce only increased 174 percent. Additionally, an estimated 2.4 million Ohioans live in a community that does not have enough behavioral health professionals.

Using the data as a launching point, OhioMHAS said it convened an advisory council of diverse stakeholders to develop a plan to strengthen Ohio’s behavioral health workforce. The resulting roadmap includes four key priorities: increasing career awareness; supporting recruitment; incentivizing retention; and supporting contemporary practice.

To achieve the goals highlighted in the roadmap, the agency is involved in partnerships with Ohio’s community-based service providers, local community leaders, Ohio’s K-12 schools, career tech centers, colleges, and universities to create more pathways for Ohioans to pursue careers in behavioral health care. This includes doctors, nurses, counselors, therapists, prevention professionals, social workers, direct care workers, and peer supporters, among others.

Among others, actions addressed in the roadmap include the following:

- Define common language that promotes understanding about the roles and scope of behavioral health professions.

- Promote opportunities for pay equity with other parts of healthcare to reflect value of current workforce and attract the future workforce.

- Revamp existing curriculum to include practical skills development and training (i.e., evidence-based practices for prevalent diagnoses, better working knowledge of documentation) to confirm that those entering the behavioral health workforce are tactically equipped for practice to mitigate high levels of burnout and turnover.

- Convene providers to collaboratively develop caseload guidelines for new practitioners in the field aiming to improve their orientation, reduce early burnout, and enhance overall retention.

- Create recommendations to offer future students (particularly underrepresented students) financial support in their internship and practicum needs, including items such as purchasing required materials, transportation costs, etc.

“Ohio’s ‘wellness workforce’ is on the front lines of providing care for friends, family, and neighbors with behavioral health needs. It’s incumbent upon us to ensure a viable workforce is ready to help fellow Ohioans in need get well, be well, and stay well. This roadmap is a foundational step toward Gov. DeWine’s vision of completing a comprehensive behavioral health care system which was never fully built,” said Criss.

Information about the plan can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2w84nhm6.