The recent closure of Riverwood Centers
underscores the lack of mental health workers and patient services throughout
Minnesota, which is an ongoing concern for state officials. To address the
issue, the Minnesota Legislature asked MnSCU to convene a summit and develop a
state workforce plan. A community forum is slated for 1-3 p.m. on Thursday,
April 24 at Pine Technical College.
Forums will be held throughout the state with the goal of
developing a comprehensive plan to increase the number of qualified people
working at all levels of Minnesota’s mental health system, ensuring appropriate
coursework and training and creating a more culturally diverse mental health
workforce.
“This is a large undertaking, and we need the community’s
input and help,” said Stefanie Schroeder, Pine Technical College’s dean of
workforce and economic development. “We want to gather information from
providers, employers, consumers of mental health care, educators and others to
assess the gaps and shortages in the mental healthcare workforce.”
Forum topics will include, but are not limited to, the wait
time for individuals to see a mental health professionals, the challenges and
length of time to fill mental health professional positions, whether students
and graduates are meeting expectations of providers, strategies to recruit
individuals to the mental health field and improvements needed to the mental
health workforce and delivery system.
A team will use the results from the Pine Tech forum, as
well as other forums held throughout the state, to create the comprehensive
plan at a summit scheduled for May 28.
Forum organizers ask attendees to pre-register at www.healthforceminnesota.org and clicking on Pine City.
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