126. On the Ground Impact Series: What We’re Seeing, Hearing, and Learning Across the Midwest

This episode kicks off our On the Ground series, sharing real-world insights from building behavioral health systems across the Midwest. We name the common challenges showing up across states—workforce shortages, inconsistent mobile crisis response, and one-time funding—while grounding the conversation in key 2025 data that reinforces why this work matters. We also preview the next four episodes, where we’ll dive deeper into system barriers, care collaboration, sustainable change, and whether a true “no wrong door” approach is possible.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• The shared behavioral health system challenges are emerging across rural Midwest states
• What 2025 mental health data reveals about students, young adults, and low-income communities
• Why untreated behavioral health carries a major human and economic cost
• What to expect in the upcoming On the Ground series

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00 – Conference season reflections
00:03 – Lessons learned from system-building across the Midwest
00:06 – Common challenges: workforce, funding, and mobile crisis gaps
00:10 – 2025 behavioral health data and societal stress trends
00:18 – The economic cost of untreated behavioral health
00:22 – Preview of the next four episodes and closing thoughts

Links:

• University of Michigan
• AHA News and Gallup state reports
• The American Psychological Association's 2025 report
• https://news.gallup.com/poll/693362/drinking-rate-new-low-alcohol-concerns-surge.aspx 
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/sorensonimpact/2025/12/11/the-high-cost-of-low-funding-for-behavioral-healthcare/ 

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/6-g8K4Kfwhw