by Bart Caylor | Jul 10, 2019
The State of Indiana recognizes the importance of strengthening and retaining the behavioral health workforce in order to 1) tackle the opioid epidemic and 2) expand the workforce to areas in greatest need of mental health care. Financial incentives focused on workforce recruitment and/or retention are frequently used as a strategy to increase workforce capacity, reduce turnover, and reduce burnout. Student loan repayment assistance programs are one such strategy. These programs generally offer professionals relief from the administrative and economic stress of repaying student debt in exchange for practicing in underserved areas or with underserved populations for a specified time period.
In 2014, the Indiana Family and Social Services Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) implemented a Mental Health and Addiction Services Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) targeting behavioral health professionals. The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy (Bowen Center) was contracted by DMHA to perform an evaluation of the LRAP. The primary objectives of the evaluation were to 1) identify successful outcomes associated with the program and 2) determine areas in need of improvement. The following report describes the evaluation methods, discusses results, identifies successes, and offers recommendations for future program improvement
by Bart Caylor | Jul 10, 2019
Indiana’s mental health workforce is comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric advanced practice nurses (APNs), addiction counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. Understanding the status of Indiana’s health care workforce is critical to ensuring that Indiana residents have access to high quality care, to developing programs that will train practitioners to meet future needs, and to recruiting and retaining health care professionals in Indiana. Furthermore, the mental health workforce may be regarded as a key component of Indiana’s healthcare system, providing care to ensure emotional, psychological and social well-being at every stage of life for Indiana residents. The Mental Health Professionals Survey Data Report presents fundamental information and data collected from re-licensure surveys administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) during the biennial license renewal period for the professional mental health workforce. Re-licensure surveys for psychiatrists and psychiatric APNs were completed in 2015 while re-licensure surveys for psychologists and licensed professional counselors were completed in 2016.
by Bart Caylor | Jul 10, 2019
One in four Americans received treatment from a mental health professional in 2014. The mental health workforce is comprised of a cadre of professions that work together synergistically to support mental health, much like pieces forming a puzzle. While each profession has its unique training and scope, all professions are pieced together to treat the whole person. The purpose of this report is to describe the following professions: psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric advanced practice nurses (APNs), (clinical) addiction counselors (LACs/LCACs), (clinical) social workers (LSWs/LCSWs), marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. Recognizing that mental health and addiction services may be provided by other health professionals (such as primary care providers), understanding characteristics of each piece of the mental health workforce puzzle is imperative to inform future policy discussions as they are a vital component to health care.
