Protect UC San Diego Mental Health

To UC San Diego Health Leadership and the Department of Psychiatry:

We, the undersigned community members, are deeply concerned about the Department of Psychiatry’s new policy requiring UC San Diego Mental Health providers to maintain 60% appointment availability for current faculty and MSP staff physicians and 80% for new hires, while significantly restricting outside professional practice.

Faculty psychologists, faculty psychiatrists, MSP staff psychiatrists, and UPTE-represented mental health workers (psychologists, therapists, clinical social workers, and counselors) are speaking out because this policy will directly harm patients, disrupt continuity of care, and undermine recruitment and retention of highly specialized clinicians. Patients already face months-long wait times for psychiatric and psychological services, and forcing providers out of UCSD by reducing the flexibility they rely on will only worsen delays for individuals with complex and high-acuity mental health needs. Many patients are already scheduled months in advance, yet there is no clear continuity or transition plan in place, creating immediate risks for vulnerable individuals who require uninterrupted care.

At UC Health, we must uphold excellence in patient care while supporting the wellness and sustainability of physicians and mental health providers. Policies that negatively impact provider retention also affect continuity of resident education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the long-term stability of patient care programs. Open dialogue and collaboration are essential to ensure institutional policies align with these shared values.

The policy disproportionately impacts women and mothers in academic medicine, many of whom rely on flexible arrangements to remain in academic healthcare. It risks driving away experienced faculty and MSP staff physicians who provide essential patient care, teaching, mentorship, research, and leadership. These highly specialized clinicians cannot be easily replaced, and losing them would significantly weaken access to care across the department and broader UC Health system.

We urge UC San Diego Health leadership to immediately retract this policy and work collaboratively with affected faculty, MSP staff physicians, trainees, and workers to develop equitable alternatives that protect patient care, provider retention, continuity of education, and access to timely, high-quality mental health services.