Cleveland and Cuyahoga County government officials and nonprofit leaders met last week to address the shortage of mental health care providers serving children in Northeast Ohio.
The Youth Mental Health Workforce Development Sprint Task Force met Thursday to share recommendations to attract, retain and support mental health professionals who serve the county’s youth. The task force’s first report was presented by Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
“Rebuilding and empowering a workforce that has been underpaid and undervalued is a long-term proposition,” Bibb said in a press statement. “We are committed to action and these recommendations are a roadmap to advance this critical priority.”
A city spokesperson said the task force is working on a plan to hold its next meeting and is looking for a representative to take over the meetings. Its work is funded by the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the county’s Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. This local initiative is based on a proposed national strategy.
In August 2023, Bibb and Ronayne announced the formation of the task force.
Its goal? To address the nation’s youth mental and behavioral health crisis and find ways to overcome barriers to care for teens.
“The number of young people diagnosed with behavioral health problems continues to grow, yet the mental health workforce specializing in treating young people has shrunk,” Ronayne said at the time.
He added: “Now is the time to bring everyone together to create a coordinated approach to tackling this crisis.”
In last week’s meeting, the group also shared ways they can gather federal and state funding to attract mental and behavioral health care workers to the region. They also outlined how they can better support and expand mental health services in their communities.
A few recommendations include:
Workforce development strategies
- Launch a peer support training program
- Identify career paths and launch an awareness campaign
- Expand efforts to connect youth to career paths
Workforce retention strategies
- Find employers to collectively address rest and resilience strategies
- Requiring diversity, inclusion and equity data transparency and trainings
Advocacy
- Advocate for policy and funding changes to build up and retain mental and behavioral health care workers and and expand access to care