Workforce

Nebraska added an estimated 1.2 million behavioral health appointments in 2024 compared to 2010 as the state expanded its licensed behavioral health workforce, according to a 2026 report from the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska.  The Behavioral Health Workforce…

Health systems are finding creative ways to recruit and retain staff, shifting away from broad workforce initiatives in favor of more targeted strategies. From licensure support programs to clinician well-being strategies and workforce violence prevention efforts, organizations are testing new…

The District of Columbia has the highest concentration of psychiatrists in the U.S., with 44.69 psychiatrists per 100,000 residents, according to Becker’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data and 2025 U.S. population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. …

The National Association of Social Workers is calling on policymakers to strengthen investment in the mental health workforce as demand for behavioral health services rises. The number of designated mental health professional shortage areas in the U.S. rose to 6,807…

As 988 call volumes continue to rise, Nashville, Tenn.-based Centerstone is investing in its “three-legged stool” approach — workforce training, quality improvement and clinical support — to prepare staff for increasingly high-acuity and socially complex calls.  Centerstone operates 988 lifeline…

New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals and Project Renewal launched Care Corps, a workforce development program designed to train individuals for entry-level behavioral health roles within the public system.  The $2 million program aims to help fill vacant behavioral…

Behavioral health leaders are seeing a growing disconnect between how clinicians are trained and the realities they face in practice amid workforce shortages, rising patient acuity and operational pressures reshaping care delivery.   Leaders told Becker’s that many clinicians enter the…

As healthcare organizations continue grappling with workplace violence, staffing shortages and burnout across behavioral health settings, leaders are increasingly focused on creating safer environments for both patients and caregivers.  Sarah Hollins, director of behavioral health services at WVU Medicine Camden…

Renton, Wash.-based Providence is updating the behavioral healthcare model at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., a move that will affect about 40 positions, the health system said May 11. The changes will take effect July 14, according…

With only four states in the U.S. exceeding 50% of their population’s demand for mental health services, Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is expanding its mental health career accelerator program with the goal of helping 1,000 master’s-level graduates complete licensure by…