Paul Sisson at The San Diego Union-Tribune says a 2022 report concluded San Diego County faces a mental health care staffing crisis and needs 18,500 more Mental Health Care Workers by 2027 to catch up with chronic understaffing. While it will not cover the whole gap, a new program is making a $75 million investment that’s intended to grow local Behavioral Health Staffing. Dubbed ELEVATE, the new program which was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors back in 2023, uses a special innovation grant from the State of California’s Mental Health Services Act to fund a range of initiatives, from Apprenticeship Programs for entry-level positions to graduate-level training targeted at growing the number of Professionals able to diagnose and treat mental illness. San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said: “With this investment, San Diego isn’t just meeting today’s crisis - we are building a model for the Nation, and most importantly, we’re ensuring that when a child, a parent or a neighbor is in crisis, they can get the care they need, right here at home.”

To Read This Apprenticeship And Training Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: County to invest $75 million in mental health care training with new program