Maryland Identifies Need for 32,000 Behavioral Health Workers

In 2023, the Maryland legislature established the Behavioral Health Workforce Investment Fund to reimburse local governments for the cost of “… educating, training, certifying, recruiting, placing, and retaining behavioral health professionals and paraprofessionals.” As one result of this legislation, the Maryland Health Care Commission engaged a workforce research and consulting firm, Trailhead Strategies, to conduct a needs assessment. 

Recent data highlights that all but two counties in Maryland are designated as full or partial mental health professional shortage areas; approximately 31% of the state’s adults with anxiety or depression do not receive the counseling or therapy needed; and half of youth aged 12-17 with depression do not receive care. 

Examining data in 2023, the study found the following:

• 50% shortage in behavioral health workers in the state. 
• 45% of behavioral health professionals were expected to retire, leave Maryland, or leave the field or occupation within the following five years. 
• 32,800 workers are needed by 2028 to address current worker demand and to replace those leaving the field. 

Six strategies were recommended to address the need: 

1. Providing competitive compensation.
2.  Increasing awareness of behavioral health careers.
3. Increasing financial support for education and training.
4. Offering timely and effective licensing.
5. Investing in quality jobs.
6. Expanding the impact of the current workforce by using evidence-based models of care. 

To implement these strategies, the report calls for a “catalytic investment” of $60 million over five years, with a projection that this would attract additional public and private sources of support and result in a total workforce investment of $149 million.

To learn more:

• Access the report summary issued by the non-profit online news site, Maryland Matters, which chronicles the state’s government and politics. 
• Review the full report online.