Hamburg Announces New Plan to Tackle Mental Health Care Delays for Youth

Mayor Tschentscher outlines measures to address long therapy wait times and improve coordination of psychiatric services for children and teenagers.

Hamburg's new psychiatric plan aims to better coordinate services between public health providers, clinics, and private practices.
Therapy wait times for children and adolescents have doubled in recent years, with many waiting up to eight months for care.
The plan includes increasing training opportunities for psychotherapists, doctors, and nurses to address staffing shortages.
Efforts will also focus on redistributing doctors to underserved neighborhoods to ensure more equitable access to care.
The city's current psychiatric care capacity is considered strong but insufficient to meet the growing demand for treatment of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.