Leading mental health and education advocacy organizations Bring Change to Mind and the Patrick P. Lee Foundation have released a new advocacy and awareness campaign, Between The Lines. This campaign aims to increase the number of psychiatrists, psychologists, and behavioral health practitioners serving the growing needs of diverse communities throughout the United States.
While one in five Americans affected by mental illness may be reaching out to their primary care physicians for help, with not enough mental health professionals available, two-thirds of physicians have reported difficulty in referring patients for further mental health treatment – twice the number for any other specialty. In fact, 56% of Americans with mental illness have no access to treatment, with zero psychiatrists in more than half of U.S. counties. Youth mental health is particularly ill-supported with the report indicating that 76% of youths with serious depression receive no or insufficient treatment.
The goal of Between the Lines is to encourage college students who are in health, science, and/or education tracks to choose career paths that serve the growing mental health needs in the U.S. The campaign will spotlight individuals who have dedicated their careers to save, and better the lives of others; provide awareness around the breadth of professions in the field; connect students to associations serving these specialists; and share resources that can help with educational opportunities, scholarships, and loan repayment. Through targeted digital media placement promotion, the campaign aims to reach millions of college students and increase the number of mental health professionals.
“When Bring Change to Mind approached us about a collaboration to address the critical shortage of mental health professionals, we were very interested,” said Jane Mogavero, Executive Director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation. “One of the Lee Foundation’s top priorities is to support a strong, well-trained mental health workforce. This campaign is a natural extension of our mental health scholarship program and allows us to communicate directly with college students, who may aspire to a career in mental health. By adding just one mental health professional to the workforce, hundreds of patients and their families will benefit. There is great opportunity for dedicated individuals to impact their communities in a substantial way.”
The Patrick P. Lee Foundation is a funder of the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition.
For more details, and to view the campaign, please visit: mentalhealthjobs.org
This campaign was developed by the Lee Foundation and Bring Change To Mind with support from Water Cooler Group, The Mighty, Active Minds and Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc.
%
Of youths with serious depression receive no or insufficient treatment
Two-thirds of physicians have reported difficulty in referring patients for further mental health treatment – twice the number for any other specialty.
