San Diego County will invest $75 million over five years in an attempt to address the gap between those with mental health needs and the number of professionals available to treat them.
The program, called the Elevate Behavioral Health Workforce Fund, will offer zero-interest loans, apprenticeships, peer support training, paid internships and nurse practitioner programs with the goal of adding 3,000 new behavioral health practitioners in the region.
Officials gathered on Thursday at Liberty Station to offer details of the program, which includes multiple partners in finance and education, among them San Diego State University and California State San Marcos.
County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer cited the work that’s been done by the agency in recent years, from launching crisis stabilization units and deploying mobile crisis response teams. Elected officials, she said, have taken note and asked for more mental health services in their communities.
But without more trained professionals, that won’t be possible.
“These investments have been historic, but none of them will work without people,” said Lawson-Remer said.
And though thousands of new workers is a start, the goal set for the Elevate program only addresses a fraction of the projected need. In a study released in 2022, researchers for the county estimated that a total of 18,500 such workers would be needed by 2027.
That includes meeting current demand for behavioral health care, the expected growth in that demand by 2027 and replacing the estimated number of workers who will leave the field.
A key element of Elevate is providing students interested in behavioral health fields with zero-interest loans. The San Diego Pay It Forward Loan Program will offer funds to new students or those already pursuing graduate degrees with proceeds “recycled” within the program to benefit future students.
David Valencia, a recent SDSU graduate, had trouble making ends meet as he completed his degree. He watched his fellow students struggle too. He supports the county’s investment plan, especially because it will help those who might not have access to other resources to finish their training.
“We need more good therapists at these county sites and we need them now,” he said.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
