Announcement Date: March 21, 2019

BHECON partner RCPA conducted a survey of their members in early 2019 to get a detailed look into workforce challenges facing behavioral health providers in Pennsylvania to inform policy recommendations. As we await the final results, early analysis shows 51 percent of community-based behavioral health providers say the most pressing workforce issue is inability to hire qualified staff to meet the needs of their client population. According to 71 percent of respondents, the lack of competitive salaries is perceived to be the biggest challenge to hiring and retaining qualified staff. Finally, 74 percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that workforce shortages are the most significant barrier their organization faces in being able to provide comprehensive mental health and addiction treatment to the community.