74. Rural Policy Partners: Looking Ahead to 2025 and Tackling Hot Topics

As 2024 winds down, we’re gearing up for an exciting year ahead in rural health policy and behavioral health advocacy. Join us for an episode packed with updates, insights, and plans for 2025. We’ll reflect on our nationwide speaking engagements—from North Dakota to Alaska—on topics like strategic planning, clinical pathways, and workplace mental health. Celebrate our podcast milestones, including 73 episodes and thousands of listeners, as we preview our goals for the coming year. Plus, we’ll dive into the hot topics in behavioral health we expect to dominate in 2025, including jail population challenges, Medicaid coverage for Community Health Workers, and the integration of behavioral health into primary care. This is your inside look at the evolving landscape of rural health!

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Master navigating the behavioral health system to support rural communities better.
• Discover the significance of grain bin investment and farm succession planning for rural prosperity.
• Uncover the keys to integrating behavioral health care effectively in rural areas.
• Learn how federal and state funding impacts the accessibility and quality of rural behavioral health services.
• Explore the vital roles of community health workers in enhancing behavioral health support in rural settings.

The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 - Introduction to the Stepping In podcast
00:01:12 - Celebrating a Family Farm Milestone
00:05:37 - Speaking Engagements and Travel Plans
00:09:50 - Expanded Reach and Exciting Opportunities
00:11:20 - Excitement for 2025
00:11:49 - Healthcare Integration in Rural America
00:13:12 - Advocacy and Policy Development
00:15:31 - Project Outlook for 2025
00:20:37 - Future of Podcast and Interviews
00:23:22 - Integrated Care and Behavioral Health
00:23:55 - Medicaid Billable Community Health Workers
00:25:30 - Emergency Department Behavioral Health Issues
00:26:15 - Funding Landscape and Medicaid
00:29:00 - Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) 

Connect with us: 

https://ruralpolicypartners.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/company/rural-policy-partners/ 

https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/ruralpolicypartners

https://www.youtube.com/@ruralpolicypartners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GHTGsqK_V9w