The NPR (3/9, Raphelson) “Here & Now Compass” blog reported that the “lack of federal funding for mental health services may be to blame” for the “growing shortage of psychiatrists across the US.” President Trump’s “2019 budget proposal doesn’t devote much funding” to mental healthcare. What’s more, “the federal government, which funds medical residency programs, put a cap on them under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997,” making it much harder to train psychiatrists to deal with a “growing and aging” population. Now, some “mental health advocates are urging Congress to act on legislation to expand medical residency training programs as a method of dealing with this crisis.”
Related Links:
— “Severe Shortage Of Psychiatrists Exacerbated By Lack Of Federal Funding,” SAMANTHA RAPHELSON, NPR, March 9, 2018.