News Release

Report serves as guide to help strengthen Utah’s mental health and substance use disorder systems

January 11, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – Utah is working to address a growing behavioral health crisis. While the state is leading the nation on many behavioral health innovations, inter­­ventions, and reforms, high suicide rates, untreated anxiety and depression, serious mental illness, and drug-related deaths are all signs of the need for more accessible, equitable, aligned, and effective behavioral health services.

Under the direction of the Utah Hospital Association (UHA) and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Utah Behavioral Health Coalition developed a comprehensive and coordinated approach to improving people’s behavioral health. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, in partnership with Leavitt Partners, assisted the Utah Behavioral Health Coalition assess needs, gaps, and challenges in Utah’s behavioral health systems. This assessment informed the development of the Behavioral Health Master Plan.

Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox said, “I have been tracking the development of the Behavioral Health Master Plan and appreciate the time and attention given by the Utah Hospital Association and so many others to bring it together.  As the plan highlights, behavioral health impacts all Utahns in one way or another – it’s not just an issue for government, or hospitals, or community organizations to try to solve alone.  I look forward to the organizations in our state working together to help the strategic priorities identified in the plan become Utah’s reality.”

Greg Bell, former President and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association and co-chair of the Behavioral Health Coalition said, “Our study surveyed Utah’s current behavioral health system from ‘top to bottom and border to border.’ The resulting Master Plan reflects input from numerous parts of the system and is meant to be a comprehensive guide for building the best behavioral health systems in the nation.”

Key points from the plan include the following:

Growing Demand – Utah ranks 11th highest among states in terms of the share of adults with any mental illness, 3rd highest for adults with serious mental illness, and 4th highest for adults with serious thoughts of suicide. The share of young adults in Utah with poor mental health more than doubled over the last 10 years.

Limited Access to Care – Many Utahns do not have access to the behavioral health care they need. While data show utilization may have improved for some populations, nearly half of Utah’s adults and more than half of Utah’s youth do not receive necessary services or treatment.

Demand Continues to Outweigh Supply – Utah has mental health provider shortages in every county and fewer mental health providers per 100,000 people than the national average. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified pressures on Utah’s limited workforce.

System Fragmentation – Several issues create and exacerbate challenges in Utah’s

behavioral health systems. These include a lack of system-level coordination, siloed approaches to addressing behavioral health needs, administrative complexities, ongoing workforce shortages, and a lack of sustainable funding.

Master Plan – Utah’s Behavioral Health Master Plan provides a roadmap for future reform. While some recommended changes may result in state-directed reform, the Master Plan is designed to call attention to high-priority areas and help facilitate solutions by other sectors and private systems as well. A unified approach to system-level reform will help all Utahns have better behavioral health.

Seven Strategic Priorities – The Behavioral Health Master Plan identifies seven strategic priorities:

• Support continued use, implementation, creation, and innovation of evidence-based interventions.
• Strengthen behavioral health prevention and early intervention.
• Integrate physical and behavioral health.
• Improve patient, family, and consumer navigation.
• Continue to build out Utah’s behavioral health crisis and stabilization systems.
• Improve the availability of services and supports for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and complex behavioral health needs and their families.
• Expand, support, and diversify Utah’s behavioral health workforce.

“Intermountain Health stands with our community collaborators to support this plan to serve the people of Utah,” said Tammer Attallah, Executive Clinical Programs Director for Behavioral Health at Intermountain. “Intermountain Health is committed to helping people live the healthiest lives possible. Effectively meeting the behavioral health needs in our communities requires that we work together. The Utah Behavioral Health Master Plan outlines this effort.”

“We all have to work together to provide care at the right time in the right place for those who need it,” says Ross Van Vranken, Executive Director of Huntsman Mental Health Institute. “This is a chance for all of us across the state to do better: better for our patients, our teams and our community.”

“The Behavioral Health Master Plan focuses ways to improve Utah’s behavioral health systems and there are a lot of positives to build on.” said Laura Summers, director of industry research at the Gardner Institute. “This assessment and plan provide key stakeholders with information and direction to strengthen current efforts and create positive collective impact.”

“It was a pleasure to work with Gardner Institute in supporting the State of Utah, the Utah Hospital Association and the many behavioral health leaders who demonstrated genuine passion for building a cross-sector and effective behavioral health system. The power of collective leadership is strong in Utah and we are confident the Master Plan will be a path towards improved access, equity and quality of care for Utah.” said Gina Lasky, Managing Director of Behavioral Client Services at Health Management Associates.

The full report and executive summary are now available online.