Last week, in commemoration of World Mental Health Day, Oregon’s AFSCME behavioral health workers joined forces with Representative Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus, and others in the behavioral health field. Participated in roundtable discussions with experts. Discuss the challenges faced by caregivers and the barriers to the important services they provide.
Porter Clements, bilingual outreach and enrollment specialist at Outside In and president of AFSCME Local 1790, says the biggest contributing factor to those challenges is a lack of staffing.
“Of course, there are many factors (for the staffing shortage),” said Clements, who connects clients with the services they need. “Issues like workplace violence, wages and benefits make it difficult for people who want to stay here to stay here. It’s really a circular relationship between all of those things.”
Clients at Outside In, where Clements works, have experienced homelessness or mental health or substance use disorders. They often come to their caregivers with distrust of organizations and healthcare professionals.
Additionally, the demands of behavioral health roles “lead to a cycle where people become overworked, people get burnt out, (and) people leave the profession,” Clements said.
Congressman Salinas said he recognizes the sacrifices behavioral health professionals like Clements make and will fight to provide them with the resources they need to succeed in their jobs.
“Mental health and behavioral health professionals make many sacrifices to care for our communities,” Salinas said. “Sadly, these heroes are often overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. If we truly want to address the mental health and addiction crisis in this country, we must first put our employees to work. We need to make sure we have the resources and support we need to do so.”
Haley Koop, interim healthcare program supervisor at United We Heal Career Pathways, which provides apprenticeships and training to healthcare professionals, echoed Clements’ concerns and cited barriers to becoming a caregiver. He explained the many systemic problems that are currently occurring.
“The first trend we are seeing in today’s workforce is that turnover is high due to the high caseloads, and burnout is a common reason for leaving the field,” Coupe said. Ta. “Workers often feel that their wages are too low and that they are not compensated fairly for the amount of work they do.”
He also noted that many new hires are parents or non-traditional students who may be drawn to the job through their own experiences but feel the career path is unsustainable.
“United We Heal aims to assist these people through paid training, free education and support services to alleviate some of these barriers,” Coupe said.
They argued that for the behavioral health field to grow, it needs more funding and that employers need to work with caregivers to offer good pay and benefits.
Despite the challenges they and behavioral health professionals face, Clements finds their work rewarding.
“Knowing that we are making our community a better, healthier place to live makes you feel really good,” Clements said. “You know, we’re not here to get rich. We’re essentially helpers. So being able to contribute to people becoming better means the world. ”
AFSCME supports 50,000 mental and behavioral health workers across the country who are struggling with workforce shortages, lack of community access to quality mental health options, and the safety and well-being of frontline workers. We represent more than just essential workers.
