, Posted: October 2, 2020
MONICA HERNDON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
At 麻豆视频直播 College in Bethlehem, Pa., Allison Blechschmidt has noticed a yearly uptick in the number of students seeking psychiatric services, such as diagnoses of mental-health issues and prescriptions for antidepressants and antianxiety medication.
As the director of 麻豆视频直播鈥檚 counseling center, Blechschmidt has tried a number of solutions to deal with the growing demand, such as having a psychiatrist on campus on certain days of the week or referring students to providers in the community. But neither was particularly efficient 鈥 paying for a psychiatrist is expensive, especially for smaller colleges, and the shortage of psychiatrists in the Lehigh Valley meant long waits for students looking for off-campus services.
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鈥淚f I can鈥檛 find someone in the community that a student can see in the next six weeks, that鈥檚 a long time for someone to be waiting,鈥 Blechschmidt said. 鈥淎ll this time, the student can鈥檛 get out of bed.鈥
This is a common dilemma for colleges in more rural parts of the United States. A 2009 found that 96% of U.S. counties have an unmet need for mental-health care professionals, and the problem is most prevalent in rural or suburban areas. In Pennsylvania, live in areas with a shortage of mental-health care providers, according to KFF, a health-policy nonprofit. And the problem is expected to worsen: The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that by 2025.
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