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Mental Health Needs Rise Faster Than Workforce

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The Affordable Care Act--Obamacare--put mental health care on par with physical health, as far as health insurance goes.  But insurance does not automatically mean a lot of providers are available. 

And a recent report shows a shortage of mental health (behavioral health, in their lexicon) workers in California. 

Janet Coffman at the University of California-San Francisco led the reporting team; she joins us.  We get an Oregon perspective as well from Jonathan Betlinski, the president of the Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association.  

 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.
April Ehrlich reports on lands and environmental policy for Oregon Public Broadcasting, a JPR news partner. Her reporting comes to JPR through the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.