North Michigan News

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect families nationwide, it is indirectly creating significant mental health issues for Michigan communities -- and mental health workers are in short supply, according to reporting by Bridge Michigan. 

In the Detroit metropolitan area, the shortage of mental health care workers is striking. In one organization, Community Care Services (CCS), approximately 20 positions remain unfilled after several months. CCS health administrator Susan Kozak told Bridge Michigan, “We can’t start programs. We can’t expand programs. Our caseloads are through the roof. We are not meeting client needs.” 

CCS serves about 6,000 families, children and adults in the Detroit and Downriver areas, with little relief for their workload in sight. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, young adults are significantly affected by depression and anxiety due to COVID-19, particularly those between the age of 18 and 24.

Executive director of the Michigan National Alliance on Mental Illness Kevin Fischer told Bridge Michigan, “The pandemic has exacerbated the situation to the point where (lack of mental health care) is near epidemic proportions.”  

Unfortunately, this shortage existed before the pandemic, and COVID-19 merely exacerbated an already unfortunate situation. A 2019 report on the state of mental health resources within Michigan illustrated a somber picture. The report found that 25 counties in Michigan had no psychiatrists, and ten counties -- all of them rural -- had neither a psychiatrist nor a psychologist. 

A major obstacle for this shortage is a lack of investment in well-paying jobs for qualified mental health professionals. “The entry-level money in behavioral health is not there. When you can make more money at Walmart than you can starting at the entry level, that’s not very appealing,” Fischer said, as reported by Bridge Michigan.

Through various incentives such as college loan repayments, state loan programs and improved salaries, the Michigan mental health shortage can be addressed. However, it will take significant efforts to fill the gap that has been widened due to COVID-19.