Workforce Monitoring: Staffing Patterns in the Public Mental Health Workforce in New York State, 2009-2021

Tepper et al examine the staffing patterns in the public mental health workforce in NY State from 2009 to 2021. The authors highlight the long-standing and widespread shortages in the mental health workforce and the limited data available to evaluate workforce trends. The study focuses on staffing ratios as an indicator of quality in mental health settings. The findings show that while the number of clients served by mental health clinics increased, staffing levels did not increase proportionally. The staff-to-client ratios decreased over the study period, indicating a shortage of clinical staff. The authors suggest that a better understanding of staffing patterns and the quality of services is needed for service planning. Further research is needed to determine if this approach to workforce monitoring can be applied to the NYS mental health workforce.