San Diego County Faces a Mental Health Worker Shortage: Here’s What We’re Doing to Help

Recently, San Diego’s Workforce Partnership released a report revealing that San Diego is facing a severe shortage of mental health professionals. Addressing San Diego’s Behavioral Health Worker Shortages combines interviews from nearly 1,600 mental health professionals with statistics and peer-reviewed research studies. The shortage is a result of several competing factors, including explosive community need and nearly 7,800 behavioral health workers who are expected to retire or leave their professions by 2027 (Andy Hall, Karen Boyd, Ph.D., Daniel Enemark, Ph.D., and Karen Connolly, “Addressing San Diego’s Behavioral Health Worker Shortages: A Needs Assessment,” pg. 6).

Health and Human Services Agency found that around 1 in 4 San Diego County adults face some mental health challenge. Among low-income San Diegans, the situation is even more severe. According to the California Health Information Survey, nearly 252,000 low-income San Diegans reported that they experienced serious psychological distress over the past year and 17.4% of surveyed participants contemplated suicide.[1] Despite what may feel like an uphill battle, Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) staff is working to bridge the care gap by:

• To develop a psychiatry program to address the growing need in San Diego County for accredited community-based residency programs in psychiatry and to stem the workforce shortages in underserved communities. 

• Expanding our services throughout San Diego County in neighborhoods that are mental health care professional shortage areas, including a new integrative mental health clinic in City Heights with conjoined housing for those formerly unsheltered. 

• Advocating for laws like SB966 and AB32 to make it easier for patients to access mental health services from qualified mental health professionals using whatever technology is available to them.

Last year, FHCSD provided mental health services to over 23,000 unique patients. To learn more about our mental health services, please click here.

[1] United States Census Bureau, “American Community Survey Data 2020,”

www.data.census.gov/cedsci/, accessed February 22, 2022. 

Thank you for your generosity!

SAN DIEGO GIVES 2022

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our first San Diego Gives on September 8, 2022! Campaigns like this one make it possible for us to serve more than 227,000 patients every year. San Diego Gives is a special day of giving that connects generous people like you to the causes they care about the most.

This year we fundraised to support our “Greatest Need Fund,” which helps us respond to communities when they are experiencing unexpected health emergencies such as COVID, MonkeyPox, Hepatitis A, or even influenza outbreaks.

¡VIVE TU VIDA!

GET UP! GET MOVING!

With the help of our incredible supporters, FHCSD’s patient engagement team hosted the 16^th annual Get Up! Get Moving! event on Saturday, October 8. More than 1,200 community members, event sponsors, and government officials stopped by to enjoy the entertainment and offer resources to FHCSD patients. We even had a few laughs too! 

FHCSD sends a very special thank you to:

View our event gallery:

Newsworthy Notes:

For Suicide Prevention Month, FHCSD’s Chief of Psychiatry, Dr. Joe Sepulveda, collaborated with Joe Eberstein from the Center for Community Research’s San Diego County Marijuana Prevention Initiative and Dr. Roneet Lev from Scripps Mercy Hospital to raise awareness about the impact of youth marijuana use on mental health.

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of fellow San Diegans? Join our Good Neighbor Club!

Lives are changed when everyday neighbors get together to do extraordinary things. If you want to do more to help your neighbors in need, join the Good Neighbor Club today! As a Club member, you’ll work with a team to help carry out FHCSD’s mission by putting your unique skills to work. 

Special volunteer opportunities include:

Volunteer at FHCSD events 

Create inspiring social media content 

Host an item drive for patients

Raise money to support FHCSD patient care

Host an educational event 

Thank you to our sustaining

Spirit of the Barrio sponsors. 

Your support makes our work possible.