Psychiatrists continue to be in short supply in California, and the problem will likely only get worse in the next decade. A shortage of 336 psychiatrists was reported in 2013 by the Health Resources and Services Administration, with projections expected to rise to between 729 and 1,848 by 2025. In Nevada County, Health and Human Services Director, Michael Heggarty, says they could use one more full-time psychiatrist….
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A study from Healthforce Center at UC San Francisco cites increasing numbers of retirements as the leading factor, although the number of people pursuing the profession has been fairly constant. Meanwhile, Heggarty says it hasn’t been hard to attract other types of mental health professionals to Nevada County…
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Other factors cited for the psychiatrist shortage include burnout, burdensome documentation requirements, and restrictive regulations around sharing clinical information necessary to coordinate care.
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