The federal Health Resources and Services Administration says about 158.4 million Americans currently live in areas with shortages of mental-health workers, while a decade ago a “mere” 94.8 million people resided in such areas.

According to that federal agency, the number of mental-health professionals needed to address the scarcity in question grew to 7,957 in 2022, up from 2,593 in 2013.

Public-health officials and advocacy groups are pressing the message that the shortage results from both increased demand for services and a lack of mental-health professionals caused in part by a high-burnout rate and substandard pay for the knowledge, skills and commitment required.

That is not a new message on the mental-health landscape, but the ongoing question remains whether enough federal and state government officials have their ears open to the pleas being directed their way. Judging from the “numbers deterioration” mentioned earlier, the answer seems to be “no.”

However, there might now be grounds for some hope that positive steps might indeed be ahead.

Under the headline “Many states push for money to aid mental health,” The Wall Street Journal reported governors and lawmakers in a number of states, believing that the shortage of available mental-health services has reached crisis levels, are advocating that billions of dollars in funding increases be directed toward those services.

Budget proposals that have been put forth by certain states seek to address the mental-health-worker shortage, the growing demand for emergency services and mental-health needs in schools.

“They represent a rare bipartisan point of agreement for more government action and underscore how dire many think the problem has become,” the Journal said.

Many Republicans and Democrats openly express the opinion in a bipartisan way that improving mental-health services will make strides against the drug problem and the well-being of youth, both of which worsened during the pandemic.

Consider the situation In Montana, about which many Americans should feel aghast because it goes against the reality of what should exist in a prosperous nation such as this one.

According to Mary Windecker, executive director of Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana, more than half of all Montana children who require psychiatric residential treatment are currently being sent out of state to acquire needed services.

The $300 million in spending being sought by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, if granted by that state’s legislature, hopefully will be able to make a significant dent in the existing need.

America’s states have benefited greatly — and some currently have budget surpluses — as a result of the federal money sent their way in response to the pandemic crisis.

Nationwide, mental-health services should benefit from some of that money.