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Panel

Behavioral Health

Engaging Diverse Perspectives to Evaluate and Strengthen Workforce and Capacity in Behavioral Health Systems

Stream: Health and Wellness

Thursday, October 24, 2024
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM PST
Location: G131-132
Abstract Information: States across the country are continuing to experience a behavioral health workforce shortage across a range of providers that provide substance use and mental health treatment services, including but not limited to counselors, case managers, and peer recovery specialists. High rates of behavioral health staff attrition and turnover result in delays and decreased quality of service provision, loss of agency institutional knowledge, and adverse outcomes for patients. Our work has focused on using mixed methods approaches to conducting needs assessments across multiple state behavioral health systems and federally funded multi-site evaluations to examine factors that contribute to shortages of behavioral health providers and decreases in the capacity of substance use treatment and behavioral health organizations to deliver quality services to those populations most at-risk and with the greatest need. Leveraging our experience with various behavioral health organizations and publicly funded systems, we will share our lessons learned on how we involve diverse (and historically underrepresented) perspectives in our design and implementation of needs assessments and evaluation activities, including but not limited to those with lived experience with substance use disorders and mental illness, persons with physical disabilities, those whose immigrated to the US and whose primary language(s) are not English, counselors and nonclinical agency staff.