A South Dakota legislative panel has advanced a proposal that could make it easier for mental health professionals stay in touch with their patients across state lines.
PSYPACT, or the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, offers clients the opportunity to continue care with their behavioral health provider via telehealth – even if that provider is licensed in another state.
Sioux Falls Democrat Linda Duba is a prime sponsor of the bill to include South Dakota in the compact.
“Rather than having to find another psychologist or behavioral health specialist, I can maintain that relationship and that closeness with the psychologist I developed a relationship within South Dakota through telehealth," Duba said. "Essentially, what this is allowing, is that ability to hold licenses in multiple states throughout the compact.”
Currently, 40 states and territories have joined the compact since 2019. South Dakota is joined by lawmakers in New York State and Massachusetts in considering adoption.
Janet Orwig is executive director for the PSYPACT Commission. She said the compact is designed to utilize technology to its fullest while keeping patients safe.
“PSYPACT was created to provide a means for states to regulate the practice for tele-psychology, and it helps states to ensure the public will be better protected from harm by certifying psychologists have met acceptable standards of practice providing compact states with a mechanism to address disciplinary issues that occur across state lines," Orwig said.
Statistics back up a need for additional services in the state. Data from Sanford Health reports 112,000 South Dakotans tangle with some form of mental health condition, and 94 percent of South Dakota counties are designated as a mental health shortage area – mostly in rural areas.
Kim Malsam-Rysdon, vice president of public policy for Avera Health, said residents need all the additional mental support they can get.
“In the case of our behavioral health hospital we’ve had three openings for psychologists for two years straight without any applicants," Malsam-Rysdon said. "Another fact for you, the school in the regental system that produces PhD level psychologists that are APA certified only produces six to eight graduates per year. We really have an issue with producing psychologists at the PhD level in our state.”
There was no opposition testimony. The House Health and Human Service Committee unanimously advanced the proposal Thursday, sending it to the House floor.