Other workforce development news…
In California: Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 964, the Behavioral Health Workforce Revitalization Act, passed the Assembly Health Committee in a unanimous, bipartisan vote in June. It will now be heard in the Assembly Higher Education Committee in August.
SB 964 "increases California’s investment in its behavioral health workforce to retain workers, increase the size of the behavioral health workforce, and support behavioral health workers who are facing a significant increase in demand for services."
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In Idaho: $66 million has been allocated over three years to "implement a sweeping array of changes and improvements to Idaho’s behavioral health care system." The plan, which focuses heavily on youth treatment centers, community crisis centers and the roll-out of the 988 hotline, also includes provisions for the behavioral healthcare workforce. Last fall, a task force developed a comprehensive plan for recruiting, training and retaining a workforce with "lived experiences." All 44 of Idaho’s counties are classified as behavioral health worker shortage areas. Read more in this article from The Idaho Press.
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In Illinois: Lawmakers passed SB3617, which went into effect in July, and helps address the state's behavioral healthcare workforce shortage -- a deficit that was exacerbated by the stress and burnout from working during the pandemic. The approach includes early detection measures for the behavioral healthcare workforce. Read more.
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