2018 Annual Impact Report

by | Jul 10, 2019

The health workforce is the foundational element of health care delivery, contributing to priorities such as quality and spending. Health care delivery system reforms cannot succeed without attention to this workforce. The mission of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy (Bowen Center) is to improve population health by contributing to informed health workforce policy through data management, community engagement, and original research. To achieve this mission, the Bowen Center has partnered with the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

Dissemination of high quality health workforce information is a primary mechanism for promoting health policy discussion among health care leaders in Indiana. The Bowen Center is charged with leveraging health workforce data to conduct needs assessments, workforce evaluations and develop data visualization tools. The center also regularly provides technical assistance to stakeholders throughout Indiana and across the country who submit requests for data collection, analysis and assistance with federal health professional shortage designations. Such efforts aim to inform the work of educators, health care administrators and policymakers.

In order to support the translation of data and research into action, the Bowen Center is committed to providing a forum for stakeholders that supports information sharing, idea generation, and consensus building, and serves as a platform for collaboration with policy makers and community leaders. The center currently provides administrative support and technical assistance to the Governor’s Health Workforce Council, which aims to coordinate initiatives, policies and programs related to the health workforce. This council, led by DWD, provides a forum for research, in-depth discussions and collaborative work that impact health workforce policy and, ultimately, improves population health.

Indiana Addiction Counselors: A Review and Recommendations for a Workforce at the Frontline of the Opioid Epidemic

by | Jul 10, 2019

The following recommendations for Indiana’s Addiction Counselor Workforce were generated as a result of findings within this report, including: review and analysis of licensure data, state statute & rules, a literature review on occupational regulation, stakeholder engagement, and national environmental scan. Recommendations represent the synthesis of the information presented throughout the report.

To provide public comment on this document, please email comment to the Bowen Center at bowenctr@iu.edu. Public comment will be uploaded to this homepage and Bowen Staff may publish responses to commentary.

Integration of Oral Health with Primary Care in Health Centers: Profiles of Five Innovative Models

by | Jul 10, 2019

Health centers are leading the way in integrating oral health with primary care. Much can be learned by exploring the models that health centers have developed and adopted to achieve integration. This Monograph, supported by the DentaQuest Foundation and authored by Hannah L. Maxey, PhD, MPH, RDH, Assistant Professor and Director of Health Workforce Studies, Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, presents information on five health centers that have successfully integrated oral health with primary care. It has been developed for the purpose of organizing and presenting information on successful models which may be useful to health centers and other organizations considering the implementation of similar initiatives. Each health center’s model is summarized within the framework of the five domains of the Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice initiative (IOHPCP), and full information on each of the models, such as the role of all care team members, is found within the profile for each health center.