The U.S. is in the throes of a mental health crisis. Deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide more than doubled between 2000 and 2017 and continue to rise. As the largest payer of behavioral health services in the country, Medicaid is crucial to serving society’s most vulnerable. But the infrastructure and funding for these services varies by state.
Indiana, which had ranked low in national mental health rankings, established a behavioral health commission in 2020. The group was charged with improving the state’s infrastructure and outcomes in mental health. Jay Chaudhary, then the director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, led that effort. In today’s episode, he takes senior writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya through the overhaul, lessons learned and potential future policy threats to care access.
Chaudhary is currently a senior fellow for mental health and community wellness at the Sagamore Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. He also writes a Substack newsletter, Favorable Thriving Conditions.
To learn more about the topics in this episode:
- One year of 988: The crisis hotline's successes and challenges
- Cityblock Health teams with MDwise to open health hubs in Indiana
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!