Addressing Virginia’s Mental
Health Workforce Shortages
Mental Health Professionals Shortage Data
Ken Studer, Ph.D.
Shortage Designations Manager
State Efforts to Address The Workforce Shortage
Aileen Harris, M.S.A.
Healthcare Workforce & Rural Health Manager
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Minority Health & Public Health Policy
Division of Primary Care & Rural Health
Office of Minority Health & Public
Health Policy
Mission
• To identify health inequities, assess their
root causes, and address them by
promoting social justice, influencing policy,
establishing partnerships, providing
resources and educating the public.
Division of Primary Care &
Rural Health
Mission
• To focus on barriers to access to care that
contribute to poor/inequitable health
outcomes.
Strategies to Address Needs
• Identifying communities with the greatest
unmet health care needs, disparities, and
health workforce shortages
• Identifying the key barriers to access to
health care for these communities; and
working toward solutions
Health Professional Shortage
Designations
Mental Health HPSAs in Virginia
• Virginia currently has 65 separate Mental
HPSA Designations in 85 Counties
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–
–
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25 Community Health Centers
25 Correctional Facilities
2 State Mental Hospitals
16 Geographic Areas (10 CSB Catchment Areas)
• Short 23 Psychiatrists
• Find Listing at: http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/
Mental Health HPSAs in Virginia
Distribution of Psychiatrists by
Sector
Distribution of Psychiatrists
Distribution of Clinical
Psychologists
Distribution of Licensed
Professional Counselors
Distribution of Licensed Clinical
Social Workers
Target Areas: FTE Child Psychiatry
per 100,000 18 Years and Under
Models of Care: Virginia Acute
Care Hospital Psychiatric Beds
Finding Solutions to Disparities
in Access to Mental Health Care
• Understand the Distribution of the Problem
– Rural
– Inner City
• Target Areas of Highest Need
– Children
– Uninsured
• Develop Appropriate Models of Care
– Use all Mental Health Professionals Efficiently
– Address Unique Community Needs
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
• Assure Provider Support
• State and Federal Incentive Programs to
Increase Access to Care
• Strong Recruitment Efforts
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
Federal and State Incentive Programs
• Programs available to practitioners seeking
practice opportunities in Virginia
– Two (2) Loan Repayment Programs
– J-1 Visa Waiver Program
– Three (3) Nursing Scholarship Programs
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
Loan Repayment Programs
• Virginia Physician Loan Repayment Program*
• Virginia State Loan Repayment Program*
• National Health Services Corps Loan
Repayment Program
*Application Period is January 1 – May 1
*Funding amount $50K to $120K
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
J-1 Visa Waiver Program
• Must practice primary care for at least 3 years in
a federally designated health professional
shortage area or a medically underserved area
• Also open to specialists
• 30 slots annually (10 FLEX slots)
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
Nursing Scholarships
• Mary Marshall Nursing Scholarship Program for
Licensed Practical Nurses (funding and award
amount varies)
• Mary Marshall Nursing Scholarship Program for
Registered Nurses (funding and award amount
varies)
• Virginia's Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Midwife
Scholarship Program ($5,000)
The State’s Efforts to Address the
Mental Health Workforce Shortage
Strong Recruitment Efforts
• Free Recruitment Website to promote
Virginia – PPOVA - www.ppova.org
Subscribe to PPOVA Updates!
• 3RNet – National Rural Recruitment
and Retention Network
• “Virginia: A Healthy Place to Work”
Recruitment Video
• Recruitment and Direct Contacts
• Virginia State Rural Health Plan –
Healthcare Workforce Council
Resources
• Office of Minority Health & Public Health Policy
Website http://www.vdh.state.va.us/healthpolicy/
• Primary Practice Opportunities of Virginia Website
www.ppova.org
Email Contact:
Aileen Edwards Harris, M.S.A.
Aileen.Harris@vdh.virginia.gov (804) 864-7436
Kenneth Studer, Ph.D.
Kenneth.Studer@vdh.virginia.gov (804) 864-7428