by Guest Author | Oct 8, 2024 | Data, Playbook
As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Week (Oct. 6-12), and World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy would like to highlight our ongoing efforts to analyze and strengthen Indiana’s behavioral health workforce.
Key Findings on Indiana’s Behavioral Health Workforce:
- As of 2022, Indiana had 10,503 active BHHS professionals serving Hoosiers, of which 9,449 were included in our reporting sample
- These include social workers (61.7%), mental health counselors (28.5%), marriage and family therapists (6.9%), and addiction counselors (2.9%)
- The workforce is predominantly female (83.1%), with an average age of 46.3 years
- 71.6% of BHHS professionals report providing telehealth services
- However, all 92 counties in Indiana have federally designated mental health professional shortage areas
Check out all of the data in our in-depth reports and interactive data visualization below:
To address workforce challenges, the Bowen Center recently led the development of the Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce. This comprehensive project brought together stakeholders to identify opportunities for strengthening the pipeline from education to practice for mental health professionals.
The Playbook provides recommendations in four key areas:
- Securing the Pipeline: Strategies include growing awareness of mental health careers among youth, addressing training “deserts” in underserved areas, and expanding psychiatry residencies and psychology internships.
- Strengthening Clinical Training: Recommendations focus on expanding clinical experiences, elevating the role of professional supervisors, and creating incentives for clinical training.
- Aligning Education, Policy, and Practice: The Playbook suggests creating new positions to streamline licensing processes and ensuring evidence-based practices are integrated into education and continuing training.
- Assessing School-Based Behavioral Health: Recognizing the critical need for youth mental health services, the Playbook recommends enhanced data collection on school-based behavioral health professionals.
These recommendations provide a roadmap for policymakers, educators, employers, and professionals to strengthen Indiana’s mental health workforce. It is crucial to remember that data and policy choices about mental health care in Indiana have real-life impacts for thousands of Hoosiers in their everyday lives.
Read more about the Playbook on our dedicated webpage here.
Data Visualization on the Hoosier BHHS Workforce:
by Guest Author | Oct 5, 2024 | Data
Scroll to the bottom to check out a data visualization providing a snapshot of the Physician Assistant workforce in Indiana, based on Bowen Center data
As we celebrate National Physician Assistants Week (October 6-12), we want to recognize the critical role PAs play in our healthcare system and share some key insights from our recent research on Indiana’s PA workforce.
At the Bowen Center, our core mission is to collect comprehensive data on all aspects of the health workforce, transforming it into actionable information products for policymakers and health industry experts.
Our 2022 data on Physician Assistants shows:
- There were 2,442 PA license renewals in Indiana in 2022, of which 1,320 were included in our reporting sample
- 74.7% of Indiana PAs are female, with an average age of 37.8 years
- 95.5% of PAs report their primary field is in patient care/documentation
- 46.1% of Indiana PAs reported engaging in telehealth services
We’re also seeing strong projected growth for the PA profession in Indiana:
- The Indiana Department of Workforce Development projects a 35% increase in PA jobs from 2020 to 2030
- 15 Indiana counties are estimated to see PA job growth of 25% or more in this period
However, our research also highlights some workforce distribution challenges, with 20 Indiana counties reporting no PA full-time equivalents.
This Physician Assistants Week, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of PAs while continuing our work to analyze workforce trends and support evidence-based policy making. To all the PAs serving Hoosiers – thank you for your dedication and service!
Read our full PA workforce reports to learn more. And scroll down to check out a data visualization snapshot of Indiana’s Physician Assistant workforce, based on the data available in the three reports below:
by Guest Author | Oct 4, 2024 | Events, News, Playbook
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Hannah L. Maxey, Director of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research & Policy, has been recognized by Indiana University’s Department of Family Medicine in the IU School of Medicine with a faculty award for her “Outstanding Commitment to Community Engagement and Service.” This prestigious honor, made even more significant by her nomination from colleagues and fellow faculty members, highlights Dr. Maxey’s exceptional contributions to the field of health workforce research in policy, both at home in Indiana and beyond.
Dr. Maxey’s recognition stems in part from her pivotal role in spearheading the recent “Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce,” a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing critical workforce shortages in mental and behavioral health across Indiana. This strategic roadmap, developed under Dr. Maxey’s leadership, brings together insights from academic institutions, policymakers, and healthcare providers to create actionable recommendations for strengthening Indiana’s mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline. The Playbook, rooted in extensive research and data-driven insights conducted by the Bowen Center, identifies key challenges and opportunities within the workforce pipeline.
Dr. Maxey’s work exemplifies the Bowen Center’s dedication to community-focused research and policy development. Her efforts are poised to make a significant difference in addressing Indiana’s mental health workforce challenges, with the ultimate goal of improving access to mental and behavioral health services for Hoosiers across the state.
We congratulate Dr. Maxey on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to the continued positive impact of her work on Indiana’s healthcare landscape. Her leadership and dedication serve as an inspiration to us all and reinforce the importance of community engagement in driving meaningful change in public health.
Read more about the Playbook here.
by Guest Author | Oct 4, 2024 | News
Courtney Medlock, Bowen Assistant Director of Policy and Strategy
We’re excited to share that Courtney Medlock, MPH, Assistant Director of Policy and Strategy at the Bowen Center, has been featured in a recent Indiana University School of Medicine article for her outstanding community engagement.
The article, “Emerging Leaders program offers professional development, connection for School of Medicine staff,” showcases Courtney’s impressive achievements:
- Recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Community Engagement Award from IU School of Medicine
- Leadership in collaborative projects with state agencies
- Valuable contributions during the Emerging Leaders program
- Strategies for effective team management during the pandemic
Courtney’s feature underscores the Bowen Center’s commitment to community-focused research and policy work. Her success exemplifies how our staff actively contributes to the well-being of our community.
Read the full article to learn more about Courtney’s impactful work and the Emerging Leaders program’s role in developing community-focused leaders.
by Guest Author | Sep 13, 2024 | Events, Presentations
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey was the featured speaker at a CTS Talks event Sept. 12 at Christian Theological Seminary, giving a lecture on the intersection of faith communities and mental health. Her talk, titled “Mental Health: The Crisis and a Call to Action for People of Faith,” offered a timely discussion on the critical issue of mental health in America and its significant impact on individuals and communities of faith. Dr. Maxey explored how faith communities are uniquely positioned to respond to this crisis, challenging attendees to become ambassadors of love and hope.
CTS Talks is known for its TED Talk-style lectures that bring together intellectual curiosity and community reflection.
Related: Indiana’s mental health care is in crisis, with both real-life impacts on the everyday lives of millions of Hoosiers and for the long-term economic outlook of our state. Bowen has developed a mental health workforce Playbook that tackles that crisis head-on, offering concrete policy solutions to increase the number of mental health care workers in Indiana. To learn more about the Playbook and its strategies, visit The Playbook home page.
Watch her full presentation on CTS’s Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/kP1s5uIS7UU?si=X6oWGXlz6R-r52iF
Check out Dr. Maxey’s CTS presentation below:
