MedPage Today (2/8, Hartman) reported that late last year, “to mark the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, Vice President Joe Biden announced the executive branch would invest $100 million in the nation’s mental health system,” with the funds being “used to expand mental health services at community health centers and in rural America.” The Vice President’s “announcement was welcome news since the American Psychiatric Association estimates that in 2015 the nation will face a shortage of 22,000 child psychiatrists and 2,900 geriatric psychiatrists, and many of them are aging out of the profession according to the National Institute of Mental Health website (2/10), which notes that 55% of all psychiatrists are older than 55.”
Related Links:
— “Mental Health: Parity Yes, Providers No
, ” Ben Hartman, MD, MedPage Today, February 7, 2014.