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THE U.S. mental health and substance abuse workforce is not prepared to meet the needs of the nation's aging population, according to a recent Institute of Medicine report.
By 2030, more than 72 million Americans will be 65 and older, with a significant number of them requiring care for mental health conditions and substance misuse. The report found millions of baby boomers are likely to struggle to access diagnosis and treatment for mental health and substance use problems without a major effort to boost the number of providers to care for the population as it ages.
"There is a conspicuous lack of national attention to ensuring that there is a large enough health care workforce to care for older adults with mental health and substance use conditions," said Dan G. Blazer, MD, PhD, MPH, the...