Rhode Island meets over 58% of its population’s demand for mental health services, making it one of just four states exceeding 50% — along with Utah, New Jersey and New Hampshire — according to a March report from Inseparable.
Nearly half of individuals in the U.S. with a mental health condition receive no treatment and more than 80% of those with a substance use disorder go without care, according to the mental health advocacy organization.
The report assessed all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on their progress in adopting policies toward three ends: developing the workforce pipeline, bolstering the existing workforce, and harnessing data and technology.
Here are five notes from the report:
- Nearly half of the states were found to meet 25% or less of their estimated mental health workforce needs..
- At least 14 states reported “catastrophic shortages” in their psychiatric hospitals, 17 reported such shortages in community mental health providers, and 13 in behavioral health crisis systems. Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa and Nebraska reported catastrophic shortages across all three.
- In 18 states, therapists earned 70 cents or less for every $1 earned by a physician assistant, including Oregon (52 cents), Alaska (54 cents) and Minnesota (54 cents).
- In seven states, psychiatrists earned 70 cents or less for every $1 earned by a medical or surgical clinician, including Wisconsin (54 cents), Tennessee (59 cents) and South Carolina (60 cents)
- Patients in Massachusetts went out of network for mental healthcare 14.1 times more often than they did for medical care — the largest disparity among states. Maine (10.7x) and Rhode Island (10.3x) trailed.
