Bipartisan Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate to Expand Mental Healthcare Work Force

(KNSI) — U.S. Senator Tina Smith has introduced a bipartisan bill to attract more candidates into the mental healthcare field.

The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act would repay up to $250,000 in eligible student loan repayment for mental health professionals who work in mental health professional shortage areas and repay one-sixth of the individual’s eligible loans for each year of service.

Senator Smith tells KNSI News, “when I talk to young people, and I hear them talk about their struggles with mental health, one of the big problems we have is that there is a shortage of mental health care providers all along the spectrum from counselors up to psychiatrists. What the bill would do is provide student loan repayment for folks that want to go into mental health care, and are concerned about the burden of the cost of that. They would get their student loans repaid if they agree to practice in areas where there’s a shortage.”

This bill piggybacks on a law passed and signed last year expanding access to mental healthcare, especially for mental healthcare workers in schools.

Students would apply for college, and any loans taken out to complete the degree would go through loan forgiveness. It’s good for any school, and there are no income limits.

“I’ve shared my own story with depression because I want anyone suffering from a mental health issue to know they are not alone. We can all help break the stigma around talking about this, but de-stigmatizing and de-mystifying mental illness is just the beginning. We have to make sure mental health resources are available to everyone,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee. “I think that the more we talk about it and are more, you know, able to be open about it, then it is it gives people permission to understand that seeking help when you need it is a sign of strength, not a weakness, and everybody needs help at some point.

“We need to pass our bipartisan bill to help close the holes in the net we build to catch people when they fall and need help.”

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan are co-sponsors of the bill.

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