MANKATO – DFLer Rep. Luke Frederick said he is pushing to invest in programs that support the mental health workforce in Greater Minnesota during the next legislative session.
It comes as organizations with a similar goal, such as the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University, want to work with lawmakers to address the labor shortage.
Frederick, of Mankato, who represents State House District 18B and is also Deputy Majority Leader, said more mental health care providers are needed in Greater Minnesota.
“If we can invest in programs and things like even what MSU is doing,” he said, “I think that draws people in Greater Minnesota into a program that’s not on the metro, and so the chances of them getting a job in Greater Minnesota, I think, are increased.
Frederick said as he reviews this year’s budget, he would like to see where the Department of Human Services can do more with its mental health system.
“I think every community in the state needs it. This applies even at the county level,” he said. Make sure they are able to stay competitive. Part of what it looks like is that they have enough money for the jobs they post to attract talent. I think it’s something that everyone is fighting for.
The center, which opened earlier this year and aims to improve access to mental health care in rural and outdoor areas of Minnesota, is working both to recruit potential new professionals for career behavioral health and retaining those in the field.
Thad Shunkwiler, associate professor of health sciences and founding director of the center, said behavioral health staff are understaffed and the problem is worse outside the metropolitan area.
“We were created with the sole mission of putting more students in the pipeline to become mental health professionals who want to serve the outstate and rural Minnesota.
“In addition to general students, we really aim to attract students from underrepresented communities, students of color, students of different ethnicities who want to provide mental health care in their communities,” he said. .
Shunkwiler said the Legislature needs to do more to address labor shortages that are expected to worsen over the next few years, adding that an omnibus mental health bill that lawmakers passed the last session did not go far enough.
“If we value mental health, we really need to value the workforce that will provide that care,” he said. “So I want to work with lawmakers locally here and across the state of Minnesota to make sure the workforce is in place to meet the mental health needs of today and tomorrow.”
In addition to mental health, Frederick said this year that he hopes lawmakers can pass a budget and get agency funding bills across the finish line.
He also said he wanted to look long-term when managing the state’s projected $17.6 billion surplus, adding that not all of that money was in the pipeline.
“I think what we will see as a state will be similar to what the proposals were last year, in the last biennium,” he said. “That is to say that you will see a part that will go to tax cuts. You are going to see a part that is invested, a part that goes into a sort of safety net.
“I think investing in Minnesota, whether it’s roads, bridges, data infrastructure, health care, the various backhaul projects will benefit the people of Minnesota in the long run. I will personally advocate these types of investments.
Frederick said he also favors the passage of a bail bill this session, adding that the longer lawmakers wait, the higher the costs of the projects.
“So if we wait until next year, which would be a traditional bonding year, it will take even more money to do the same projects.”
Other issues he has heard from voters include those related to reproductive freedom and belief in elections. “That even if someone doesn’t like the outcome of an election, that doesn’t make it invalid,” he said.
Frederick said there may be opportunities for legislation this upcoming session focused on both areas.
“Things we can do like campaign finance reform, things that will make it more transparent where money comes from in politics. I think that would be a benefit for everyone in the long run,” he said. What if it is reproductive freedom that is enshrined in law to ensure that these very personal medical choices are made in the doctor’s office and not on Capitol Hill and in the realm of politics.
Session starts Jan. 3.
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