AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation will host a Policy Primer titled “Dare to Care: Expanding Scope of Practice to Fill in the Gaps in the Mental Health Workforce” TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. CDT at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Joe B. Hogsett Theater.
According to a survey by Mental Health America, Texas has one mental health provider for every 1,757 people seeking treatment and is ranked second to last in terms of mental health workforce availability. Most people agree that something needs to be done to increase access to care and expand the mental health workforce. One option is to expand scope of practice for mental health providers and volunteers. Unfortunately, licensed professions often block these regulatory reforms. This year several health professional licensing boards are under Sunset review including professional social workers, physicians, and pharmacists. This gives the legislature an opportunity to examine the scope of the authority of these boards and prevent them from continuing to squeeze competition out of their markets.
| WHO:
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Janet Paleo, Texas Council of Community Centers Mary Lou Serafine, Ph.D., Attorney and Psychologist Cindy Zolnierek, Ph.D., R.N., Texas Nurses Association Kate Murphy, Policy Fellow, Center for Health Care Policy, TPPF (Moderator) |
| WHAT:
|
“Dare to Care: Expanding Scope of Practice to Fill in the Gaps in the Mental Health Workforce” |
| WHEN:
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Tuesday, May 24, 2016 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CDT |
| WHERE:
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Texas Public Policy Foundation 901 Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701 |
To learn more please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or (512) 472-2700.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.