At least 3,700 out-of-state mental health providers have used New Jersey’s COVID-19 Temporary Emergency Reciprocity Licensing Program to reach more than 30,000 New Jersey patients in the first year of the pandemic, according to a Rutgers study. provided mental health services.
of studyPublished in The Journal of Medical Regulation.
“The New Jersey program has allowed patients already in established care to maintain continuity of care and patients seeking new care to increase access to mental health services. State Health Policy Center and Rutgers Institute Health, Healthcare Policy, Aging Research (IFH) and lead author of the study.
When New Jersey became a COVID-19 hotspot in March 2020, the state decided to increase the number of out-of-state licensed health care providers to provide COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care to New Jersey. Instituted a program to allow temporary licenses to be obtained. Via communication technology or directly to the Resident.A study of temporary license interrelationships found that at least 45 states Waiver or Modification of Existing Rules Allowing healthcare providers to work across state lines during the pandemic through a temporary licensing program.
One in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness each year, and 1,112,000 adults in New Jersey have a mental illness. National Alliance on Mental IllnessIn February 2021, more than 42% of adults in New Jersey reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.
and increase in deaths due to drugs, alcohol, suicide, shortage According to Rutgers researchers, increasing access to mental health services is critical given the proportion of mental health providers across the country.
“Just one person, let alone more than 30,000, with more access to mental health services has the potential to save lives,” Nguyen said.
The researchers found that the mental health care practitioners included in the study spoke to patients in at least 13 languages, and that approximately 53% of the practitioners had at least one member of an underserved racial or ethnic minority group. I discovered that I was serving a patient.
The findings have implications for long-term license reciprocity mechanisms, such as interstate licensing agreements, designed to enable healthcare providers to obtain primary or home country licenses, as well as multiple state licensing agreements. It is designed to allow either the licensure or the option of expedited relicensing, the researchers say. .
“As states consider legislation to participate in interstate licensing agreements, policymakers are optimistic that more flexible and portable licensing will help improve mental health, especially for historically underserved patients. We need to reflect on how we can strengthen access to labor and mitigate labor supply crises,” Nguyen said.
Co-authors on the study include Jolene Chow of the State Center for Health Policy. Elissa Kozlov, Daniel Raneza, and Molly Nowels of Rutgers School of Public Health. and Magda Schaller-Haynes of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
