Illinois lawmakers, experts hope to tackle behavioral health worker shortage

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State lawmakers are determined to pass plans this spring to help recruit and retain behavioral health care providers. Democrats and Republicans know there is a critical need for workers in mental health care, addiction recovery and trauma support services.

"We really are at an inflection point when it comes to behavioral health access in Illinois," said Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago). "Many of us know through our personal and professional lives that people have needs, nationwide really, more than they have ever had."

Industry leaders told a joint committee of lawmakers Thursday that over 25% of adults in Illinois reported significant symptoms of anxiety or depression last year. However, there are not enough providers to meet the growing demand for care.

"It is not uncommon for patients to wait several months to see a therapist, more than six months to see a psychiatrist and over a year for neuropsychological testing," said Dr. Kari Wolf, CEO of the Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center. "Could you imagine waiting six months if you had just been diagnosed with cancer and waiting six months to receive care for that?"

Wolf said lawmakers should invest in training programs for providers and address barriers such as the high cost of college programs and unpaid internships. She also argued that Illinois should increase the reimbursement rates from insurance companies since many providers are paid less than part-time workers at gas stations and retail stores.

Lawmakers also learned that many people have struggled with ghost panels, and patients find a specialist through their insurance directory but the phone number is not connected to an actual provider.

"Even though people have insurance and even though mental health care is health care, people can't find somebody to take their insurance either because they don't exist or they're taking cash pay," LaPointe explained.

Other experts said the state should increase pay for specialists, provide retention bonuses and encourage companies to hire more human resources staff to help recruit providers.

"In addition to hiring locally and through traditional means, we have conducted national searches and international searches," said Jamal Malone, CEO of Ada S. McKinley Community Services. "So, we've expanded our staff in part through international global recruiting of folks from other countries through visa programs."

Stakeholders also hope the state can provide funding to help modernize behavioral health care facilities where specialists can thrive with their patients.

Several behavioral health care centers across the state are already taking steps to retain their staff.

"Our goal right now is to get our staff and have the minimum wage at Rosecrance be $18 an hour," said Kelly Epperson, the chief of staff at Rosecrance Behavioral Health. "We then want to move quickly to $20 an hour. We think our staff working in these positions deserve that."

The Senate and House mental health committees will hold another hearing to discuss solutions for the worker shortage February 23.