Strengthening Our Pediatric Mental Health Workforce Act

Be Part of the Solution

Supporting the pediatric behavioral health workforce is critical for promoting youth mental health and for preventing addiction.

Strengthening Our Pediatric Mental Health Workforce Act

The issue: Too few adolescents with mental health and/or substance use disorders receive needed treatment. There are many factors limiting access to care for young people, but one is the lack of available and accessible providers trained to treat youth behavioral health.

Why it’s happening: The behavioral health workforce shortage is a result of issues ranging from education requirements to insurance reimbursement to provider supports. Pediatric providers are often even more limited, but they are particularly critical, as many mental health symptoms and substance use often start in adolescence, and untreated mental illness in youth and early initiation of substance use can lead to later addiction and other mental health problems.

How you can help: Send a letter to your members of Congress urging them to support the Strengthening Our Pediatric Mental Health Workforce Act, which would:

increase education, training, recruitment, and retention of pediatric behavioral health providers improve the capacity of these providers to serve more diverse populations implement integrated care models

provide incentives and supports for providers

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