New Funding and Project, Partner Updates!

Fall Newsletter November, 2018

Welcome to the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center's newsletter, where you can keep up to date with our research, presentations, publications, and events.

News & Updates

In this Issue: BHWRC Funding Renewal New Consortium Partners Data Visualization Tool Prescriber Summit Scopes of Practice Project Update Connect with Us on Social Media

BHWRC Funding Renewal

The Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center (BHWRC) at the University of Michigan School of Public Health has received funding renewal from the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, effective September 1, 2018. The School of Public Health has administered the BHWRC since 2015 with a focus on strengthening the workforce responsible for prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders by conducting studies to inform workforce development and planning efforts. The BHWRC will be conducting 10 research projects in three priority areas: 1) strengthening the behavioral health workforce to address the consequences and impact of substance use disorders and mental illness, 2) addressing behavioral health workforce shortages and maldistribution, and 3) improving service delivery and reimbursement. The Center will also continue its efforts to strengthen evaluation models for the Behavioral Health Education and Training Grant recipients. The grant provides about $3.8 million in funding over four years. The BHWRC is one of nine health workforce research centers across the country.

New Consortium Partners We are proud and excited to welcome our newest consortium partners, APNA and NABH!

American Psychiatric Nurses Association A professional association organized to advance the science and education of psychiatric-mental health nursing. It is committed to the specialty practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing, health, wellness and recovery promotion through identification of mental health issues, prevention of mental health problems and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. Dawn Vanderhoef will be representing APNA on the consortium.

National Association for Behavioral Healthcare An association that advocates for high-quality mental health and substance abuse care delivery and represents provider systems that are committed to the delivery of responsive, accountable, and clinically effective prevention, treatment and care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental and substance use disorders. Sarah Wattenberg, Director of Quality and Addiction Services, will be representing NABH on the consortium.

Data Visualization Webinar

The BHWRC collected scope of practice and credential requirements for 10 behavioral health occupations across all 50 states and DC. These data were then transformed into 2 visualization tools and hosted on the Center’s website, allowing visitors to parse through the information intuitively and export subsets of their choosing. This 30-minute webinar covers the visualizations’ functionality in detail, explaining the range of information captured, how to use the online tools, and what features will be added in the future.

Access the Data Visualization Tool

Prescriber Summit in D.C. The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center, and the National Council for Behavioral Health hosted their biannual Behavioral Health Prescriber Summit on September 19, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Representatives from the host organizations, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, National Council for Behavioral Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shared recent research projects, data collection efforts, and workforce training programs, including those related to opioid use disorder. The group also discussed opportunities for future collaboration on topics relating to prescriber education, workforce research and policy, and clinical training.

Scopes of Practice Project In 2017, the BHWRC added addiction counselors, peer recovery specialists, and community health workers to its scope of practice database. This collection included all possible credentials offered by a state, including licenses, certifications, and registered positions. Researchers also collected Medicaid state plan materials to compare reimbursement rates for these occupations across the country. To find the licensed credentials, researchers ran recursive searches of online repositories of state statutes and administrative codes. For non-licensed credentials, researchers conducted general web searches to find state-approved certification boards or professional organizations. Information found on these credentials were coded into a database. Medicaid provider manuals and fee schedules were also extracted from each state’s Medicaid website. Look for the published report of our findings, coming soon!

Connect with Us on Social Media

In addition to carrying out important research projects, the BHWRC seeks to serve as a convener of behavioral health organizations and practitioners, and to become a recognized voice on behavioral health news, information, and research. One method we use to accomplish these goals is social media, so please like us onFacebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest behavioral health news.   ‌  ‌

Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center | University of Michigan Phone: (734) 763-3118 | E-mail: bhworkforce@umich.edu