Manatt Health Director Mindy Lipson was quoted in a New England Psychologist article featuring the Firm and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation’s recent report, “Creating a Robust, Diverse, and Resilient Behavioral Health Workforce in Massachusetts,” in which she discussed how the Commonwealth can grow and support its behavioral health workforce.
The article details the findings of the report, which offers recommendations for how Massachusetts can create policy, programmatic and budgetary reforms to expand its behavioral health workforce, increase its diversity, maximize its potential to meet the needs of all people in the Commonwealth, and strengthen its resilience. Lipson noted that shortly after the report was released, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave Massachusetts approval to make up to $20 million in Medicaid-funded investments in the behavioral health workforce over the next five years, adding, “ideally, these investments will make it more attractive and financially viable for behavioral health providers to work with Massachusetts residents with the greatest need for behavioral health care.”
Lipson also emphasized the importance of including mental health providers in this planning. “Providers working on the ground have the best understanding of the challenges facing the behavioral health workforce, and change will not be successful without their meaningful involvement,” she said. As many states continue to face an unprecedented workforce crisis in health care, actions such as those laid out in the report can initiate change and help stakeholders reach their goal of building a more robust workforce nationwide.
Read the complete New England Psychologist article here.
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