Services detail plans to beef up mental health services for troops, families
By Karen Jowers
Thursday, May 26
A military officer gestures while leading a support group for soldiers. (SDI Productions/Getty Images)
As the military and the nation deal with a shortage of mental health providers and delays in getting appointments, defense and service officials outlined steps they’re taking to address concerns.
Defense officials will start a pilot program this fall to test a behavioral health staffing model that matches “supply with demand,” said Seileen Mullen, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. They’re adding psychiatric physicians assistants, licensed mental health counselors, professional counselors and marriage and family therapists.
“We will also significantly increase our telebehavioral health, including 63,500 visits this year,” she said, during a May 25 hearing on the military health system before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. “We’re also trying to lower the referral and approval Tricare barriers. While there are shortages in certain areas, we are tackling them, and we understand that this will not be an easy or a quick fix.”
https://www.armytimes.com/pay-benefits/2022/05/26/services-detail-plans-to-beef-up-mental-health-services-for-troops-families/
