![Many Cuyahoga County mental heath providers have been using technology to reach people during the pandemic. Calls are up 30 percent in the last year during the pandemic to the mental health crisis call line. [fizkes / Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dedae30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F4%2F23%2Ftherapy%20telehealth.jpg)
Calls to a local mental health crisis hotline are up 30 percent in the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. As demand for mental health services increased, it's been difficult for many providers to find professional staff over the last year.
Nearly all community behavioral health providers in Cuyahoga County have job openings, according to Scott Osiecki, CEO of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County.
"One of our children's residential agencies, they're down 45 workers that they need, so they have openings for 45," he said. "All of the providers, none of them are really at full staff."
Mental health workers often have advanced degrees, which can mean more student loan debt. Some workers are only getting paid $12 per hour when they could make more working in fast food or retail, Osiecki said.
Those workers aren't getting paid enough for their experience and education levels, Osiecki said.
"Although it's a really rewarding field, they should be fairly compensated for the amount of work and the difficulty of the work they're providing to folks, and those salaries just haven't kept up with the rest of the medical industry," he said.
Medicaid is part of the reason for the lower pay at community behavioral health nonprofits.
"The payments that providers are receiving from Medicaid are lower than they can receive from private insurers for the same service," Osiecki said. "Rates have not kept up with the rising costs of operating a business, such as providing benefits to staff."
Osiecki said fundraising for nonprofits has also gone down.
The worker shortage could impact how quickly a person can get in to see a mental health provider.
"It takes longer for people to get an appointment, and the other thing is too, they may have to switch their workers frequently, because what we're finding is some of the workers move on to another agency," he said.
But services are still available, he said.
If you or someone you know needs help or information in a mental health crisis, call 216-623-6888.
