(The Center Square) – A joint committee of the Illinois Senate and House heard about a behavioral health workforce shortage in the state during a Thursday hearing with health-care officials.
According to the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services, Illinois has 13.8 behavioral health care professionals for every 10,000 residents, leading lawmakers to seek a solution to what they said is a severe shortage.
The meeting is one of two scheduled for health officials and the committee. In the first hearing, lawmakers heard from those in the community about their struggles due to the shortage.
State Rep. Lindsey Lapointe said the shortage is a severe problem for the state.
“In my humble opinion, the behavioral healthcare workforce shortage is truly one of the biggest issues facing the state of Illinois,” Lapointe said. “When I say behavioral health, I mean mental health, addiction, recovery, and trauma support that so many across Illinois desperately need.”
Dr. Sonja Leathers of Behavioral Health Workforce Center spoke with lawmakers and said the amount of Illinoisans dealing with these issues is growing.
“Illinois has experienced an alarming increase in behavioral health needs,” Leathers said. “Over a quarter of adults in Illinois reported significant symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder in 2023.”
Dr. Kari Wolf of Behavioral Health Workforce Center said the problem needs to be fixed by recruiting and retaining qualified workers.
“We are focused on development and training initiatives to increase retention of behavioral health providers and improve the quality of care throughout the system,” Wolf said.
The second committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 23.
