South Carolina is critically short of mental healthcare providers, and those providers make less on the dollar compared to other kinds of medical providers in the state, according to a report released Tuesday by Inseparable, a nonprofit mental health advocacy organization.
The report finds moderate shortages at South Carolina’s state psychiatric facilities, mental health crisis systems, and community mental health providers. That tracks with data released in December by KFF, which reported that South Carolina meets about 31% of needed mental health coverage in-state, due to a shortage of 201 providers — about 3% of the overall shortage in U.S. mental healthcare providers.