Immigration policy as health policy: Workforce shortages, shrinking resources and the future of U.S. mental health and substance use care

This investigation examines how U.S. immigration and health policies affect mental health and SUD treatment. Mental and drug use care in the U.S. is in crisis. Immigration rules that make it tougher for healthcare workers to immigrate to the country, especially in insufficiently staffed areas, make it harder to acquire care. Psychiatric, mental health, and SUD services depend on immigrant healthcare personnel. Given that 127 million people live in Mental Health HPSAs and thousands of mental health practitioners are needed now, immigration policy that expands and deploys behavioural health providers is, in practice, health policy. TPS termination, visa freezes, and ICE enforcement worsen things. This hurts mental health workers and immigrants' healthcare access. Without action, these care gaps will grow, especially in rural and urban regions where individuals are already at risk. Additional visa categories for mental health and substance use disorder professionals, TPS protections, and federal funding for culturally competent personnel are suggested. This will allow the U.S. to deliver full mental health and substance use care, reduce the number of staff needed, and improve care in underserved areas. According to the evaluation, immigration policy is health policy. Immigration rules need to be amended to foster a diverse and qualified healthcare staff to address the nation's mental health and substance use disorder crises and provide fair access to care.