Kansas Access to Healthcare

In Kansas, most psychiatrists and licensed specialist clinical social workers (LSCSW) are located in urban areas. An estimated one-fourth (24.7 percent) of psychiatrists and one-fifth (20.9 percent) of LSCSWs are age 65 or older. National models predict a constricting workforce as retirees leaving the profession outpace new professionals entering the field. This issue brief is the second of a two-part series examining the behavioral health workforce shortage in Kansas. It describes the age and geographic distribution of a large segment of the Kansas behavioral health workforce, as well as strategies to reduce the workforce shortage.