Sustaining our Mental Healthcare Workforce w/Lissa Carter - WNC Health Policy Podcast Ep. 27
Image Credit: SHVETS production
Mental health and substance use are two of the most pressing public health challenges in Western North Carolina.
Data from the WNC Health Network shows a 39% increase in poor mental health in the region since 2012, alongside widespread impacts of substance use across households.
A recent conversation with Lissa Carter, a clinician working in Buncombe County, offers some perspective on some of the challenges facing our workforce and residents’ access to care, including:
Low Medicaid reimbursement rates that make it difficult to attract and retain providers, leaving many patients unable to find in-network care.
Challenges for early-career clinicians, including heavy caseloads, low pay, and significant student loan debt, compounded with experienced providers leaving community agencies for private practice due to financial pressures.
Fragmentation of mental health care, with providers, insurers, and agencies operating in silos, insurance coverage often falling short of clinical best practices, and many people lacking clear guidance on how to access care.
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About the WNC Health Policy Podcast: In each installment, we speak about different public health strategies for improving health and well-being in Western North Carolina (WNC). The WNC HPl is a collaboration between the NC Center for Health & Wellness at UNCA and MAHEC, with generous support from the Dogwood Health Trust.
Individual opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast are those of the author(s)/interviewee(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the WNC Health Policy Initiative or its host institutions of the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA), Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) or our funders.
