The launch coincides with Florida Behavioral Health Day, Oct. 15
The Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce (FCBHW) at the University of South Florida today launched the state’s first interactive dashboard that projects behavioral health workforce supply and demand through 2035. The dashboard equips policymakers, providers, educators, and advocates to confront Florida’s critical shortage of behavioral health professionals. The launch comes ahead of Florida Behavioral Health Day on Oct. 15, which spotlights the urgent need to close access gaps and prepare the state’s workforce for the future.
A screen shot from the interactive dashboard shows data by profession and region.
“Florida now has a way to see not just where the workforce stands today, but where it’s headed,” said Julie Serovich, dean of the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, which houses FCBHW. “This dashboard helps us anticipate challenges and gives leaders the evidence they need to strengthen the workforce across professions in meaningful ways.”
Stakeholders can use the tool to see where behavioral health professionals are and where they are not, spot shortages before they become crises, and measure how state and local policies affect access to care. The dashboard delivers state, regional, and county-level insights and projections for six licensed behavioral health professions in Florida: psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, along with mental health counselors.
By making workforce data easily accessible, the dashboard provides a foundation to plan systems, evaluate programs and investments, and spur policy change.
Now that we know the projected trends, our responsibility is to close the gaps. By growing, retaining, and innovating our workforce, we can bend these trends toward greater access and better outcomes.
FCBHW Executive Director Courtney Whitt, PhD
The launch comes as the state faces several challenges:
- Florida has the second highest prevalence of mental illness and third highest rate of substance use disorder in the nation, yet ranks among the lowest for access to behavioral health care (Mental Health America, 2024 State of Mental Health in America Report).
- Florida has 219 federally designated mental health shortage areas, among the highest in the country (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2024).
- Current workforce levels meet just 24% of the state’s total estimated need (HRSA, 2024).
A screen shot from the dashboard shows the rising demand for psychiatrists in Florida and the current workforce.
In 2024, USF was awarded $5 million in recurring state funds to create FCBHW to help combat these issues. Dashboard data reveals the most urgent being the steady decline of psychiatrists across Florida, even as demand rises. More than 40 percent of the current psychiatrist workforce is at or beyond retirement age, and replenishment is not keeping pace.
The dashboard also sheds light on geographic disparities. Some Florida counties have no psychologists or psychiatric prescribers at all, and in some cases, residents live far from the nearest county with providers.
“Developing projections like these is a complex task that many states continue to refine,” said Jacob Gray, the center’s lead statistician. “Florida’s approach offers a strong example for other states to learn from as they build their own models.”
FCBHW soon plans to expand the scope to capture a fuller spectrum of the workforce, including paraprofessionals and those certified to serve in Florida’s schools. The dashboard can be found here.
About the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce
The Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce (FCBHW) was established by the Florida Legislature in July 2024 to strengthen the state’s behavioral health workforce and ensure all Floridians have access to timely, high-quality care. Housed within the University of South Florida’s College of Behavioral and Community Sciences and the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, the FCBHW advances data-driven solutions through research, education, policy, and collaboration. FCBHW serves the entire state through its mission to grow, retain and innovate Florida’s behavioral health workforce.