The staffing agency is doing its part to solve a workforce shortage that has hobbled the behavioral health field
This sponsored content was produced for Valeo Resources by Treatment Magazine Content Studio.
By Erin Gilday, Treatment Magazine Content Studio
Delayed addiction treatment center openings. Long admissions waitlists. Short-staffed facilities. Prolonged staff vacancies. Reduced services. Shuttered programs.
As our nation’s addiction problems mount, the symptoms of the workforce shortage in behavioral health care are everywhere. Experts are calling it “the biggest challenge” facing the field today.
Rob Murphy—founder and CEO of Valeo Resources, a top behavioral health care staffing agency—says the problem is only getting worse.
“It’s the most acute it’s ever been,” says Murphy. “There’s a dire shortage of RNs and therapists—LCSWs, LPCs, LMHCs. There’s a nationwide nursing shortage, and many addiction treatment facilities just can’t pay what some of the hospitals are paying.”
“Health care leaders who haven’t necessarily come up in the behavioral health space add that professionalism and structure that a lot of my clients are looking for.”
—Rob Murphy, founder and CEO of Valeo Resources
Good executive leadership is also in high demand as behavioral health care continues to shift from mom-and-pop operations to private equity control.
“Larger companies want real pedigreed leadership at the top,” Murphy says. “Health care leaders who haven’t necessarily come up in the behavioral health space add that professionalism and structure that a lot of my clients are looking for.”
What It Takes to Meet the Staffing Challenge
Behavioral health staffing companies are being tested by the current staffing crisis, but Murphy has observed that not all agencies are actually rising to the challenge.
“A lot of staffing companies just flip resumes,” Murphy says. “All their transactions are done through a vendor management portal: a company posts a job, an agency submits a resume—that’s it. We avoid those at all costs. With our candidates, it’s personal. We get to know them, not just their qualifications. We know if they’re ready to make a move or if they’re just kicking tires. We know what their timeline looks like. We don’t just hand clients a couple resumes. We deliver the candidate and make sure they actually show up on day one.”
Despite the staffing crisis, some behavioral health organizations are choosing to keep their hiring in-house. In cases like these, Murphy has some advice: “Hiring managers need to recruit the right candidates and show them a quick timeline with momentum. You need a process with a finish line. You can’t go days and weeks without communication. And you can’t just punt the ball down the road like other companies do. Put your best foot forward and sell your company and the opportunity.”
The Valeo Resources Approach
Sound like a lot of work? It is. Still, as a third-generation health care staffing professional, Murphy has learned that the one-on-one time his company spends with clients and candidates is well worth the investment.
“We’re not just helping our clients build the right team, add more lines of service or add more beds—we’re changing people’s lives.”
—Rob Murphy
“I’ve always loved forming great long-term relationships with candidates and clients,” Murphy says. “We’re not just helping our clients build the right team, add more lines of service or add more beds—we’re changing people’s lives.”
Today, Valeo Resources offers four different staffing services for behavioral health care organizations to choose from: contingency direct hire, full contract staffing, contract-to-permanency and recruitment process outsourcing.
Most Valeo Resources clients opt for a contingency direct hire format, in which positions are filled on a long-term basis with no money upfront. Meanwhile, full contract staffing is designed to address emergent and short-term staffing needs like those created by maternity leave or seasonal demand. The contract-to-permanency model offers clients a “try before you buy” experience, with the opportunity to begin the employee relationship under a contract model and transition the candidate to a permanent position later, if desired.
Finally, recruitment process outsourcing, or RPO, is the newest option at Valeo. RPO clients outsource their organization’s entire recruiting process to Valeo for a flat monthly rate plus a small variable success fee. In exchange, clients enjoy expertly managed, dedicated recruiters who work only on their account with access to a whole suite of subscription-based tools. The account can be scaled up or down depending on the situation, and cost per hire is tracked with robust, daily key performance indicators (KPIs).
Learn more about what Valeo Resources is doing to address the behavioral health staffing crisis here.
