Workforce

The California Department of Public Health has delayed implementation of emergency staffing regulations for psychiatric hospitals, originally slated for Jan. 31, following pushback from the public and hospitals, according to a Jan. 26 letter summary.  The department now expects to…

New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals has launched simulation training for emergency department providers to improve care for patients with opioid use disorder.  The three-hour training, conducted at four sites, including the system’s Simulation Center, has reached more than…

Humana has established a $3 million scholarship fund to support medical education focused on integrated care amid ongoing workforce shortages.  The Humana Health Workforce Scholarship Fund will provide full tuition scholarships annually to incoming students at Xavier Ochsner College of…

Washington state has revised its physician credentialing application for the second time in five years to further reduce stigma around mental and behavioral healthcare, a driver of suicide in the healthcare workforce, the American Medical Association reported in a Jan.…

Behavioral health leaders nationwide are exploring new strategies to recruit and retain staff after the pandemic sharply reduced workforce numbers. From loan repayment to career development, systems are rebuilding their teams from the inside out, aiming to retain talented clinicians…

NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest provider of behavioral health services in New York City, reported a behavioral health staff turnover rate of 8%, down from nearly 18% in 2022 — compared to the national average of 31%. The system…

Pharmacists in the U.S. are about 21% more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to a national study led by researchers at the University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  The…

A representative behavioral health workforce is critical to reversing worsening mental health and substance use trends in the U.S., according to a comment piece published Jan. 5 in Nature Mental Health.  The paper — written by researchers from Baltimore-based Johns…

As social workers increasingly take on clinical and leadership roles, enrollment in Master of Social Work programs has grown by more than 60% over the past decade, according to the Council on Social Work Education.  Online accessibility, specialized programs and…

Mesa (Ariz.) Community College has launched a behavioral health certificate program and opened a simulation lab to address Arizona’s shortage of mental health workers. Students will train in the new Behavioral Health Simulation Lab, where they will practice realistic patient…