by Zachary Ammerman | May 14, 2025 | News, Policy
The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy is delighted to announce that our organization has received a significant grant to develop national recommendations for strengthening the behavioral health and substance use workforce.
The $592,338 award from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) will fund a comprehensive 50-state policy review and stakeholder engagement process aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind national framework for behavioral health paraprofessional roles.
Hannah Maxey, center, pictured at a Playbook Project stakeholder convening. | Photo by Daiyawn Smith/Dai in Dai Out Productions
“This framework aims to address the critical gap in service access for individuals suffering from opioid use disorder by recommending best practices for training, credentialing and reimbursement based on lessons learned from states with formalized roles,” said Bowen Center Director Hannah L. Maxey, PhD, MPH, RDH.
The grant was one of only four awarded through FORE’s Innovation Challenge Program, which supports new solutions to difficult issues related to the opioid and overdose crisis.
This initiative builds upon the Bowen Center’s Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce, published in 2024 with support from Lilly Endowment Inc., keeping the ball rolling on mental and behavioral health workforce research.
The Bowen Center will release more details about this exciting project in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned!
For more information, visit: https://medicine.iu.edu/news/2025/05/bowen-center-fore-grant-lilly-endowment
For more information about our past work on this topic, check out the Playbook project below or go to the project homepage. You can also see our full portfolio of past large-scale projects on our dedicated Portfolio page here.
by Zachary Ammerman | Mar 27, 2025 | Data
The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy has released its latest data snapshots detailing Indiana’s physician workforce characteristics as of the 2023 license renewal process.
The three new reports cover:
- All Actively Practicing Physicians – With 18,586 physicians statewide, the data reveals that 61.3% of physicians reported practicing in specialties outside primary care, while 34.5% reported a focus on primary care and 4.2% on psychiatry. 61.8% of physicians reported providing telemedicine services.
- Primary Care Physicians – Indiana has 6,420 primary care physicians, with Family/General Medicine (47.1%) and Internal Medicine (31%) representing the largest specialties, as self-reported by Indiana primary care physicians. Over 71% reported providing telemedicine services, and nearly 23% reported offering addiction services.
- Psychiatrists – The state has 782 actively practicing psychiatrists, with 90.5% reporting a specialty of general psychiatry and 9.5% in child psychiatry. Notably, 31 counties report no psychiatrist FTEs, highlighting significant disparities in mental healthcare access across Indiana.
Each snapshot includes a detailed map of geographic distribution, showing both the number of each type of physician in each county, the per capita figures, and a histogram showing country distribution. Marion, Lake, Allen, and Hamilton counties showing the highest concentration of physicians, while rural counties like Benton and Carroll face major shortages.
Does Indiana physician health workforce data pique your interest? Take a deep dive into Indiana’s 2023 Physician Workforce Data Report, complete with interactive data and charts galore at this link.
Check out each of the snapshots directly below or download the documents using the links in the text above.
All Indiana Physicians Workforce Snapshot
Primary Care Physician Workforce Snapshot
Psychiatrist Workforce Snapshot:
by Zachary Ammerman | Mar 13, 2025 | News, Policy, Reports
The Bowen Center’s newly released 2024 Annual Report showcases a year of significant achievements in health workforce research and policy. Highlights include completing the Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce, assessing Indiana’s EMS workforce, and finalizing a three-year direct care workforce project.
Under Dr. Hannah Maxey’s leadership, the Center has enhanced its data collection partnerships with state agencies while expanding its communication strategy to ensure research reaches decision-makers who need it most.
With a combination of funding from public and private sources, the Center produced 63 publications, delivered 22 presentations, and saw significant increases in website and social media engagement in 2024, solidifying its role as Indiana’s premier resource for health workforce planning.
The report also features testimonials from partners including Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana Professional Licensing Agency Executive Director Lindsay Hyer, who emphasize the Center’s crucial role in transforming workforce data into evidence-based solutions for healthcare access challenges across the state.
Download the full report here or read it in full below:
by Zachary Ammerman | Mar 13, 2025 | Policy
Indiana faces dental workforce shortages, with 68% of its counties designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). This shortage impacts access to essential oral health services for many residents. The Bowen Center for Health Workforce reviewed the current state of dental health professionals in Indiana, comparing it with neighboring states, and examines the potential of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact to address these workforce shortages. Discover how interstate compacts could enhance mobility and reduce regulatory barriers for dental professionals.
Click here to read the full report and learn more about the dental health workforce in Indiana.
Read the full brief below or download it here.
by Zachary Ammerman | Feb 18, 2025 | Data, Policy
Retention of medical students and residents is crucial to ensuring a strong physician workforce. This report examines retention within Indiana’s medical education pipeline between 2019 and 2024, challenges faced by residency program directors, trends in physician workforce capacity at Indiana hospitals, and existing initiatives supporting medical education and training in Indiana.
This work was completed in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Health. It is our hope that this report can inform discussions and policies targeting medical education in Indiana.
Read and download the project summary report below or find the full report here.
