Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] States are increasingly engaging in efforts to address behavioral health workforce shortages. Relatively low wages and high caseloads, elevated stress and burnout levels, and an aging workforce have contributed to these persistent shortages, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address these disparities, state policymakers are exploring opportunities to improve behavioral health outcomes among BIPOC communities, and to address the systemic factors that foster disparities, including the lack of diversity among providers. A behavioral health workforce that more closely aligns to the community it serves may alleviate some of these factors, as working alliances have been shown to be stronger when clinicians and clients are of the same ethnic background. Building on existing work to expand behavioral health workforce capacity, states are focusing on policies that foster equity and inclusion in recruitment and retention efforts, looking to increase workforce capacity and workforce diversity at all levels. This brief explores existing state strategies that target increasing engagement of BIPOC across the workforce. NASHP is including lessons learned from states that have implemented programs and policies to address disparities in behavioral health workforce in particular, as well as strategies for workforce diversity more generally that may be applicable for behavioral health workforce. [To read more, click View Resource.]
