Health Professional Shortage Area Mental Health

MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA (MHPSA) The federal HPSA designation (formerly Health Manpower Shortage Areas) identifies areas as having a shortage of mental health providers on the basis of availability of psychiatrist and mental health professionals. To qualify for designation as a Mental HPSA, an area must be: A rational service area for the delivery of mental health services, A lack of access to care provided by Core Mental Health Professionals (CMHP) in the area, and One of the following conditions prevails in the area: a. The population to CMHP ratio is > 6,000:1, and the population to psychiatrist ratio is > 20,000:1, ORb. The population to CMHP ratio is > 9,000:1 OR c. The population to psychiatrist ratio is > 30,000:1. Benefits of designation as a HPSA include: student loan repayment and personnel placement through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) improved Medicare reimbursement enhanced federal grant eligibilityThis data was updated July2014. (2014 ver.7)