In order to document the human resources crisis facing California’s public mental health system, in 1999 the Planning Council conducted a vacancy rate study focusing on 22 occupations employed by county-operated mental health programs and state hospitals. Respondents reported vacancies for occupations in the Children’s System of Care, Adult System of Care, and the Older Adult System of Care.

The statewide response rate was 44.7% from county mental health departments. In addition, response rates were calculated for county mental health departments by Department of Mental Health Regions . The response rates represent the number of counties responding per region. Bay Area counties responded at a rate of 38.46%; Central counties at a rate of 38.89%; Southern counties at a rate of 60.00%; Superior counties at a rate of 41.18%; and Los Angeles County responded. The response rate for state hospitals represents the participation of all state hospital facilities and resulted in a response rate of 100%. Vacancies were projected to represent the number of positions that would be vacant if every county had responded.

A statewide overview table and tables by systems of care have been created to more easily compare vacancy rates. The Statewide Overview Table is entitled “Projected Total Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Positions and Vacancies.” The overview table includes four distinct headings: Children’s System of Care, Adult System of Care, Older Adult System of Care, and a Total Column, representing vacancies among all systems of care. Under each column heading, three categories of information are included: Projected Total FTE Positions, Projected Total Vacancies, and the Percent Vacant. Projected Total FTE Positions and Projected Total Vacancies are the combined total reported by all county mental health programs and state hospitals.

The Tables by Systems of Care provide an overview of vacancies reported by county mental health departments and state hospitals by Children’s System of Care, Adult System of Care, and Older Adult System of Care. Each table includes four columns. The first column contains the occupations being examined, the second column contains vacancy data provided by county-operated mental health programs, the third column contains information provided by state hospitals, and the fourth column offers statewide totals by system of care. Under each column heading three categories of information are included: Projected Total FTE Positions, Projected Total Vacancies, and the Percent Vacant.

The projected FTE positions reported by survey participants was 12,479. Of these positions 17.1% or 2,132 are vacant. As you look at vacancies among system of care, the average vacancy for positions is 20.9% in the Children’s System of Care, 16.5% in the Adult System of Care, and 8.9% in the Older Adult System of Care. When examining vacancies by system of care, county-operated mental health programs reported the most vacancies in the Children’s and Older Adult System of Care with rates at 21.8% and 12.3%. State hospitals reported the highest rate of vacancies among the Adult System of Care, reporting vacancies at a rate of 18.6% compared to 15.8% reported by county mental health programs.

By occupation, vacancy rates for psychiatrists and LCSWs stand out. Statewide, the vacancy rate for psychiatrists is 23%. The vacancy rate for LCSWs is 24.3%.