Government officials and nonprofit leaders from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County met last week to address the shortage of mental health providers serving children in Northeast Ohio.
The Youth Mental Health Workforce Sprint Task Force met Thursday to share recommendations to attract, retain and support mental health professionals serving the county's youth. The task force's initial report was released by Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
“Rebuilding and empowering an underpaid and undervalued workforce is a long-term challenge,” Bibb said in a press statement. “We are committed to action, and these recommendations are a roadmap to advance this important priority.”
A city spokesperson said the task force is working on plans for the next meeting and is looking for a representative to take over the meeting.. This work is funded by the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the County Addiction and Mental Health Services Commission. This regional initiative builds on the proposed national strategy.
In August 2023, Bibb and Ronayne announced the formation of a special committee.
What is that goal? Addressing the nation's youth mental and behavioral health crisis and finding ways to overcome barriers to care for teens.
“While the number of young people diagnosed with behavioral health problems continues to rise, the mental health workforce dedicated to treating young people is shrinking,” Ronayne said at the time.
He added: “Now is the time to bring everyone together to develop a coordinated approach to addressing this crisis.”
At last week's meeting, the group also shared ways to raise federal and state funding to attract mental and behavioral health workers to the region. They also outlined ways to better support and expand mental health services in communities.
Some recommendations are:
Human resource development strategy
- Launch of peer support training program
- Identify your career path and launch an awareness campaign
- Expanding efforts to connect young people with career paths
employee retention strategy
- Find an employer to collaborate on rest and resilience strategies
- Demanding data transparency and training on diversity, inclusion, and equity
rights protection
- Advocate for policy and funding changes to develop and retain mental and behavioral health workers and expand access to care.
Read the full report here.
