PHOENIX (CBS5) -
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki recently announced the department would add approximately 1,600 mental health clinicians as well as nearly 300 support staff to its existing workforce. Including in the increased staffing would be 14 clinicians and two support personnel at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.
Currently, 26 mental health clinicians and support staff support Phoenix-area Veterans.
The department estimates with each additional mental health care provider, a facility could potentially reach hundreds more veterans battling mental illness.
Veterans Affairs expects the majority of the staff will be hired locally within about six months and the most hard-to-fill positions filled by the end of the second quarter of FY 2013.
Last year, VA provided quality, specialty mental health services to 1.3 million Veterans.
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