According to SAMHSA, nearly 50 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders, yet significant workforce shortages continue to limit access to care. Our national initiative, funded by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, aims to address one aspect of this challenge by developing a national framework. This framework will provide recommendations to move towards consistency in how behavioral health/substance use paraprofessional roles are regulated, educated, and reimbursed.
In this recorded webinar, Bowen Center Director Dr. Hannah Maxey shares initial findings from our 50-state policy review and wage economic analysis, discusses the current landscape of paraprofessional roles, and outlines opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to framework development.
For more information about the project, visit the Towards Consistency webpage or reach out to the Bowen Center at bowenctr@iu.edu