Create distinct categories for addiction HPSAs
Recommendation
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) should create distinct categories for addiction Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that are different from mental health HPSAs.[1]
Background/summary
Health Professional Shortage Areas is a designation for an area, population, or facility experiencing a shortage in health care services.[2] HPSAs are currently divided into three groups, which include primary care, dental health, and mental health.[3] More than 163 million people live across 6,546 mental health HPSAs.[4] However,substance use disorder (SUD) is not fully captured by the mental health HPSA designation.[1][4] Treatment for SUD can include counseling, medication, and other support services, which can be provided by SUD professionals and treatment facilities.[5] Unfortunately, HRSA projects workforce shortages of 25,940 full-time equivalent addiction counselors by 2035, resulting in only 81 percent of treatment demands being met.[6] Similar shortages are expected for psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and social workers.[6] To address shortages in SUD health professionals, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) should develop addiction HPSAs.[1]
citations
1. The Kennedy Forum. Recommendations of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy to the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Last Updated October 2017.
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. What Is Shortage Designation? Last Updated June 2023.
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. What You Need To Know: Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Your Site. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Health Workforce Shortage Areas. Last Updated July 26, 2023.
5. Rural Health Information Hub. Barriers to Preventing and Treating Substance Use Disorders in Rural Communities. Last Updated November 23, 2020.
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Health Resources and Services Administration. Behavioral Health Workforce Projections, 2020-2035. Last Updated November 2022.