Nevada policy group wants raises, licensing eased to address mental health worker shortage
Submitted by editor on Thu, 10/09/2014 - 12:44pm
Nevada faces a critical shortage of mental health professionals. Hoping to generate discussion and money for mental health issues when Nevada lawmakers meet in 2015, the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities has issued a study: Mental Health Workforce: Shortages and Opportunities.
“Improving mental health services has become a top priority for Nevada’s Governor and Legislature,” said Victoria Carreón, Guinn Center director of Research and Policy. “Building Nevada’s mental health workforce has emerged as a critical component of this effort.”
To improve competitiveness of state mental health employee salaries, the Guinn Center recommends increasing state salaries, benefits and incentives for mental health professionals and reducing reliance on contract workers.
To create a sustainable mental health workforce over the long-term, the State should direct the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to create a plan with an emphasis on engagement, training, recruitment, and retention, according to the report.
Among other things the group recommends easing licensing barriers for mental health professionals coming from other states. It says the state should simplify licensing exam requirements by requiring only national exams and not state-specific tests.
It also recommends:
— Eliminate "years of experience" requirements and accept training requirements from other states.
— Create uniform procedures for administering fingerprinting and allow provisional or full licenses to be granted before receipt of fingerprint results.
— Provide temporary or provisional licenses to professionals in good standing in other states until they meet all Nevada requirements.
— Create a 30-day uniform timelines to consider applications. Consider joining interstate compacts in medicine, nursing, and psychology to improve recruitment from other states and facilitate telehealth services.
The Guinn Center will present its recommendations during a panel on health care provider shortages at the UNLV and UNSOM Interprofessional Health Equity Symposium on October 10, 2014. More information can be found here. See the executive summary below.
mental-health-workforce-executive-summary.pdf by Carson Now
