Northern Nevada’s state-run behavioral health system is increasingly reliant on contracted workers as it struggles to fill positions for licensed professionals, state officials told lawmakers last week. Managers from the Department of Human Services requested the transfer of $1.8 million from its personnel budget to its professional services budget to cover contracted positions.
Vacancy Rates Remain Stubborn
The Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services has an overall employee vacancy rate of 31%, down from 36% two years ago. However, specific clinical roles face steeper challenges: the vacancy rate for psychiatric nurse positions is 50%, and for licensed clinical social workers it is 55%. Julie Lindesmith, manager of NNAMHS, acknowledged the difficulty, stating: “We have been making great successes in recruiting. In fact, we even had a psychiatrist come over from contract to a state position. However, it is still difficult to hire psychiatric nurses and licensed clinical social workers.”
The broader Division of Public and Behavioral Health, which includes NNAMHS, has a vacancy rate of 21%. Within the entire Department of Human Services, the Division of Child and Family Services has the highest rate at 24%, while the Division of Social Services has the lowest at 9.7%. Over half of vacancies across the department involve positions in medical, health, social services, or rehabilitation fields.
Budget and Scheduling Challenges
The transferred funds are expected to cover contracted workers until February, after which NNAMHS is projected to return to the legislative finance committee in April due to anticipated budget shortfalls. Contracted positions pay higher hourly wages but offer no employee benefits. Lindesmith noted that many contracted workers only work one or two days weekly for the state, and some prefer schedules the state cannot accommodate due to collective bargaining agreements.
The state has made some progress addressing vacancies statewide. Gov. Joe Lombardo prioritized reducing the vacancy rate when he took office in 2023, issuing executive orders and awarding retention bonuses. By March 2025, Nevada’s total vacancy rate had been cut in half. However, departments including the Department of Human Services have continued struggling with persistently high vacancy rates.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://nevadacurrent.com/2025/12/23/provider-shortage-continues-to-beleaguer-behavioral-health-system-state-officials-say/