The Bipartisan Policy Center has released a new report on reforming the way youth mental health services are delivered in Michigan and nationwide.

Recommendations from the Youth Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force include the need to grow the behavioral health workforce and make it easier for providers to join insurance networks.

The report reveals nationwide, teen mental health worsened from 2013 to 2023, with young people reporting feelings of sadness and hopelessness rising from 30% to 40%. Michele Gazda with the Bipartisan Policy Center shares the thought process behind the recommendations.

“The things that work for adults getting into care may or may not work the same for kids and their families,” Gazda said. “So part of what the task force set out to do is make sure that the recommendations were very actionable, that they can be achieved.”

The report recommends Congress fund grants of up to $2 million over three years to create ten regional centers focused on building the behavioral health workforce. It also recommends doing more to focus on young people with the most serious mental health needs.