A long psychiatry queue is what you see when scheduling, fill-in work, and unused clinician time sit inside a primary care front desk. Recruiting another person into that same structure does not by itself change the wait. Dedicated PSRs at 4:1, panels that fill, and pay tied to completed encounters are the operating pieces behind the number.
Partner baseline psychiatry wait is 15-20 weeks.
For national context, Merritt Hawkins reported a 25-day average wait for a new psychiatry patient in 2022. That figure is not FQHC-specific and is not a California safety-net baseline.
Separately, NACHC reported in 2024 that health centers meet 27% of mental health need. That is a system-access figure, not a Legara wait-time claim.
The March 18, 2026 PR Newswire release reported psychiatry wait moving from 18 weeks to under 2 weeks at partner sites in that announcement. That is not a promised wait for a new partner.
HRSA reported in 2024 that about 1 in 3 Americans live in a mental health professional shortage area. The National Council has reported facility-level behavioral health turnover above 35%. Those are industry references, not platform proof.
Nine active FQHC partners across California. 50,000+ encounters/year (about 950/week). 82% utilization. Under 3% provider turnover. Dedicated Patient Service Representatives at 4:1. Psychiatry wait baseline 15-20 weeks. 14% no-show rate.
The assessment is a short operational benchmark. A conversation is available if you want peers and finance in the room.