Jacquelin Esque, MD
photo: Jamie Manser
It is no secret that there is a severe shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) in Arizona. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s workforce shortage maps, there are currently 176 child and adolescent psychiatrists in Arizona to serve almost 1.6 million children living in the state. The average age of a child psychiatrist in Arizona is 54. Rural counties are hit the hardest with eight counties in Arizona having no child and adolescent psychiatrists and three counties having only one child and adolescent psychiatrist. All counties in Arizona are considered “Health Professional Shortage Areas,” which means they are counties that have a shortage of mental health providers for the entire population of the county. Work force projections suggest that Arizona will be at 53% CAP adequacy in 2037, meaning the state will only be meeting a little over half of its actual demand for CAPS.
How can we address this huge gap between need and availability of resources?
Changes to recruitment and alternative training models:
Better recruitment of future child and adolescent psychiatrists through earlier exposure to the field.
Early commitment to the CAP field through a dedicated CAP track in general psychiatry residency, could allow the general psychiatry residency and CAP fellowship to be completed in a total of five years instead of six years.
Use of the Post Pediatric Portal Program that allows for those trained in pediatrics to complete a three year training program in general and child psychiatry.
Shortening the training period to a total of four years combined adult and CAP training is currently being considered and tested in a pilot program.
Team-based models of care can spread CAP knowledge farther than just the individual patients they can reach.
Child Psychiatry Access Programs (CPAPs) like APAL are a great way to expand the reach of child psychiatrists across the state through consultation and education.
Co-located and integrated care are other models that allow for a more team-based approach.
APAL is a critical resource in Arizona because it allows real time, free access to CAP expertise for anyone treating children and teenagers in the state. Given the current shortage, there is no easier way than calling APAL to quickly access the help your patients need and receive support to provide evidence based and quality mental health care to Arizona’s kids.