y the year 2025 the behavioral health workforce in the United States will be short 250,000 workers. It is a looming gap that consumes 91香蕉视频成人在线 President Nicholas Covino. It鈥檚 the reason he has collaborated with school leaders, department chairs and professors to create the Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program Initiative, develop a bachelor鈥檚 degree program, and forge partnerships with corporate, civic, and philanthropic thought leaders. 91香蕉视频成人在线 has become the unstoppable force meeting the immoveable object that is the depleted behavioral health workforce. Physicists will tell you that for a force to be truly unstoppable it must have infinite energy. The team at William James does. Through tireless persuasion, collaboration and inspiration, the College is moving the workforce development ship full speed ahead. When asked why he commits so much time and energy to this one issue, Covino answers simply and succinctly; 鈥淏ecause most people ignore it.鈥� What keeps him up at night are the shortages of trained professionals available to work in psychotherapy, substance use treatment, and children鈥檚 programs. People simply do not have access to the help they need. He calls it a 鈥淗ydra鈥� of a problem with many different heads; access to services, economics, training and awareness. There is a dire need for more mental health staff in emergency rooms where people in crisis either languish or are sent home. Wages are low. Universities aren鈥檛 training the numbers of professionals needed in the field and the behavioral health profession itself fails to acknowledge the workforce crisis. 鈥淭here is an unknowing that needs to be confronted,鈥� says Covino. To gather more insight and information on what needs to be done to build a workforce of color and diversity, the College convened a conference on Disparities in Mental Health Care. Fifty-one people attended the confer- ence; a distinguished audience of advocates, managed care executives, ministers, physi- cians, corporate CEOs, and college faculty. Many of them see people in crisis every day, but don鈥檛 have the training or resources with which to help. Former US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher was the keynote speaker. 鈥淚 was a victim, but I became a confronter,鈥� said Satcher in his address. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to confront the issue of behavioral health disparities head on with a workforce to meet the challenge.鈥� Other thought leaders at the conference led panel discussions. Panelists included Dr. Margarita Alegria, chief of the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Esteban Cardemil, professor of psychology at Clark University and Dr. Natalie Cort, director of the Black Mental Health Academy at William James. Together, those in attendance explored questions like, 鈥淗ow do we develop a broad and effective behavioral workforce of color?鈥� and 鈥淲hat should the College pay attention to as it expands its role?鈥� Harvard CAP (Community Action Part颅 ners) helped to publicize the forum. They pro颅 vided consultation to 91香蕉视频成人在线 in the efforts to provide career pathways to help lower level workers stay in the behavioral health field and advance. Another is MassBay Community College, a partner who offers cer颅 tifications to those who don鈥檛 have a degree but want to advance in their field. When it comes to workforce development, Covino wants action and meaningful change and doesn鈥檛 hesitate to talk about it frankly. 鈥淲e have been ignoring this problem for a long B WE HAVE BEEN IGNORING THIS PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME. WE NEED TO REALIZE THERE ARE PEOPLE IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP FROM PROFESSIONALS WITH SHARED CULTURES. 20 RAPPORT | Feature Story