Politics & Government
$6.5 Million Sought to Bolster IL Behavioral Health Workforce
Illinois' obsolete rates "imperil" behavioral health providers capacity to deliver critical prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
(Springfield, IL) – One of Illinois’ leading behavioral health advocacy groups today called on state lawmakers to invest $6.5 million to fix Illinois’ behavioral health workforce shortages.
During a hearing of the Illinois House Appropriations Human Services Committee on April 22, Illinois Association for Behavioral Health (IABH) CEO Jud DeLoss told legislators that community mental health and addiction treatment service providers have “historically struggled to recruit and retain staff” and the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated the problem.
“Behavioral health providers have had a long-simmering frustration at losing quality staff, which they have trained at significant expense, to other facilities like prisons, hospitals, and commercial entities,” said DeLoss. “Chronically low reimbursement rates by the state mean that staff are paid significantly lower wages by non-profit providers for some of the most challenging, but critically important work, and the COVID pandemic has intensified the staffing crisis as caseloads have exploded.”
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DeLoss says the state’s obsolete rates will “imperil” behavioral health providers capacity to deliver critical prevention, treatment, and recovery services needed by patients without the IABH-backed $6.5 workforce recruitment and retention initiative in Illinois’ fiscal year 2022 budget.
“Illinois faces a perilous shortfall in its capacity to provide mental health and substance use disorder services at this pivotal, historic moment,” said DeLoss. “The $6.5 million workforce initiative that the behavioral health providers need – that patients need – will allow them to recruit and retain staff to do the job.”
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The committee chair, State Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago), echoed DeLoss’ comments.
“Not only is there a need for capacity building, but there is also a need for maintenance of resources,” said Lilly after DeLoss’ testimony. “People are hurting, and COVID has shed a light on how our basic human needs have gone unaddressed. So, thank you for your presentation, I think it is very critical as we do our budgeting.”
The legislature is expected to approve next year’s budget, which begins on July 1, 2021, by its May 31 adjournment date.
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