Bridges to Mental Health

Mental illness directly affects 1 in 5 Nebraskans and Iowans. Against this backdrop, there is a substantial shortage of mental health providers in our region, particularly within our rural communities

However, providers oftentimes don’t have the training, confidence, and/or resources to adequately identify, diagnose, and/or treat these issues. Add to that—little time: Patients in Omaha alone have seen wait times extend to 8–12 weeks to be seen by a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Through uptraining existing providers, this program helps mitigate this access crisis by initiating early mental health treatment in the places patients and the public already come for care.

What started as an experiment has now uptrained 12 cohorts of nearly 700 providers to date. It is believed to be the first program of its kind.

The Challenge

Mental illness directly affects 1 in 5 Nebraskans. Against this backdrop, there is a substantial shortage of mental health providers in our region. As such, primary care and non-psychiatric specialists provide the majority of medical therapy for psychiatric issues. However, providers oftentimes don’t have the training, confidence, and/or resources to adequately identify, diagnose, and/or treat these issues. Add to that—little time: Wait times to be seen by a psychiatrist or psychologist extend to 8–12 weeks. Access in rural communities is more dire.

The map shows the standard gap between poor mental health days and prevalence of depression in Nebraska. Higher values indicate potential underdiagnosis or lack of access to care.

Response

Nebraska physicians Dr. John Mitchell and Dr. Bill Lydiatt, with generous ongoing support from the Hawks Foundation and others, began a project to expand the mental health workforce in Nebraska through a program called Bridges to Mental Health. Clarkson Institute has formalized and amplified this pioneering initiative.

The program trains primary care, specialty physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and mental health workers to:

• Improve diagnostic and therapeutic skills
• Strengthen confidence to expand care
• Heighten awareness of common psychiatric disorders

Impact

There have been 12 sessions so far, reaching nearly 700 healthcare practitioners from across Nebraska, Western Iowa, and the surrounding region. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, underscoring the demand for expanded training.

Several more sessions are planned for providers, while we have recently adapted the program to target allied professions that experience the access crisis on a daily basis–for instance, educators.

Additional Support:
Consultation Line

On-demand educational consultations and navigator support–connecting you to a psychiatrist within 30 minutes or at your requested callback time, plus community resources to strengthen patient care.

Learn more

We are immensely grateful to the Hawks Foundation. Their generous initial and ongoing support of this program is helping establish Nebraska as a national leader in improving the mental wellness of its citizens.

John Mitchell, MD
Cofounder, Bridges to Mental Health