'THE BIGGER PANDEMIC'- NEBRASKA IS IN A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, BUT MANY ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND CARE

LINCOLN- Many Nebraskans are struggling to reach mental health care due to a lack of providers and never before seen demand for the services. 

Nearly 1 in 5 Nebraskans has a diagnosable mental health or substance use disorder, a number some experts say may grow in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the illness, isolation, grief, and trauma it brought with it. Neurological problems linked to the coronavirus and "long COVID" have also raised concerns.

At Bryan Health, online behavioral health screenings were up 17% in 2021 compared to three years ago. Meanwhile, CenterPointe, which offers outpatient and inpatient addiction and mental health treatment programs in Lincoln and Omaha, served nearly 4,270 people in the 2020-21 fiscal year, a 26% increase from 2019-20. 

"It is the bigger pandemic," CenterPointe CEO Topher Hansen said. "It's a little quieter, but it's huge out there, and it's not necessarily resolving in the same way. You can't get a vaccine for that."

While the number of behavioral health providers has increased in the past decade, Nebraska's supply of workers is struggling to meet demand, especially in rural areas. 

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