The Stepping In It Podcast with Renee Schulte & Jason Haglund
The Stepping In It Podcast is a weekly discussion of the latest news and trends in behavioral health policy development and practice. Each episode features interviews with experts from across the field, including policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and advocates. The podcast provides listeners with practical tips and resources for improving the quality and access to behavioral health care.
The Stepping In It Podcast with Renee Schulte & Jason Haglund
95. Live from Arizona: Rural Realities, System Shifts, and the Quest for Access
We’re on the road in Flagstaff for the Arizona Rural Health Conference, diving into the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural healthcare in the Southwest. From a whiny farmer update about Arizona’s never-ending dry spell (and Iowa’s surprise rain) to on-the-ground conversations about provider recruitment, mobile crisis units spanning multiple states, and age-friendly system goals by 2026, this episode covers it all. We also unpack the state’s hospital dashboard data, the complexities of healthcare on native lands, and the chaos that ensues when your doctor changes EHR platforms—cue the acronym soup. Join us for insights, laughs, and a look at what might actually be working in the desert.
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Mastering rural healthcare access for behavioral health challenges.
- Transforming healthcare systems to meet the needs of an aging population.
- Unveiling the secrets to successful healthcare provider recruitment and retention.
- Revolutionizing crisis response through mobile interventions.
- Unraveling the impact of Medicaid on rural healthcare.
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 - Introduction to Behavioral Health Systems
00:03:19 - Changing Systems and Policy Implications
00:06:04 - Age-Friendly Health Systems and Medicare
00:07:57 - Recruiting Providers and Retention Challenges
00:11:17 - Mobile Crisis Response in Arizona
00:11:57 - Mobile Crisis Services
00:13:35 - Challenges in Mental Health Care
00:14:55 - Transparency in Hospital Data
00:18:27 - Medicaid Funding
00:21:04 - Electronic Health Record Challenges
00:24:08 - Taking a Mental Health Day
00:25:33 - Balancing Work and Play
00:26:47 - Arizona Rural Health Conference
00:27:50 - Wrapping Up and Call to Action
00:28:19 - Signing Off
Links:
- https://www.azahcccs.gov/Resources/Reports/AHCCCS-InpatientAdmissionsDashboard.html
- https://www.fsg.org/resource/water_of_systems_change/
- https://crh.arizona.edu/events/51st-annual-arizona-rural-health-conference
- https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/crisis.network/viz/CRN600-ContactCenterOverallDashboard/CRN600
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/eC1CiWux4X8