At a time when our nation seeks common ground of agreement, versus planting the flag of “R” or “D” on “won” turf, do we really need to look any further than gun violence, anxiety and depression, income inequality, the opioid crisis or racial injustice? Solutions are necessary for our entire nation now, and the timing couldn’t be better to call attention to the dire need for more mental health professionals in Michigan.

Although social work is one of the fastest growing professions because of the rise in such issues, with more than 680,000 professional social workers in our nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a severe shortage of professional social workers in the U.S. to manage the growing caseloads in our communities.

In fact, last year, the Michigan Department of Community Health reported that metro Detroit has more than 300 designated health professional shortage areas with insufficient mental health professionals to meet the needs of the population.

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