Jonathan Purtle
Jonathan Purtle
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Associate Professor of Public Health Policy & Management
Director of Policy Research at NYU’s Global Center for Implementation Science
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Professional overview
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Jonathan Purtle is Associate Professor of Public Health Policy & Management and Director of Policy Research at NYU’s Global Center for Implementation Science.
Dr. Purtle is an implementation scientist whose research focuses on mental health policy. His work examines questions such as how research evidence can be most effectively communicated to policymakers and is used in policymaking processes, how social and political contexts affect policymaking and policy implementation, and how the implementation of policies “on the books” can be improved in practice. He is also interested in population-based approaches to mental health and how mental health can be integrated in to mainstream public health practice.
Dr. Purtle’s work has been consistently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). He is currently leading NIMH-funded projects focused on the implementation of financing policies related to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (R01MH131649) and policies that earmark taxes for mental health services (R21MH125261) and understanding the dynamics of research evidence in mental health policymaking (P50MH113662) . He recently completed a RWJF-funded project that experimentally tested different ways of communicating evidence about child maltreatment to the public and policymakers. His research is regularly published in journals such as Implementation Science, Psychiatric Services, The Milbank Quarterly, and Annual Review of Public Health. He is Core Faculty of the NIMH-funded Implementation Research Institute, was Chair of the Policy Section of the AcademyHeath/NIH Dissemination and Implementation in Heath Conference from 2017 to 2022, was awarded the 2018 Champion of Evidence-Based Interventions Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies for his work on evidence use in mental health policymaking.
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Education
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BA, Psychology, Roger Williams UniversityMSc, Sociology, Universiteit van AmsterdamMPH, Drexel UniversityDrPH, Drexel University
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Publications
Publications
A Tale of Two Taxes: Implementation of Earmarked Taxes for Behavioral Health Services in California and Washington State
AbstractPurtle, J., Stadnick, N. A., Wynecoop, M., Walker, S. C., Bruns, E. J., & Aarons, G. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Psychiatric ServicesVolume
75Issue
5Page(s)
410-418AbstractObjective: The authors sought to characterize perceptions of the impacts, attributes, and support for taxes earmarked for behavioral health services and to compare perceptions of the taxes among professionals in California and Washington, two states differing in earmarked tax designs. Methods: Surveys were completed by 155 public agency and community organization professionals involved in tax implementation in California (N=87) and Washington State (N=68) during 2022–2023 (29% response rate). Respondents indicated their perceptions of the taxes’ impacts, attributes, and support. Responses were summed as aggregate scores and were also analyzed as individual items. Bivariate analyses were used to compare responses of professionals in California versus Washington State. Results: Earmarked taxes were generally regarded positively. Of the respondents, >80% strongly agreed that the taxes increased funding for services and were helpful, and only 10% strongly agreed that the taxes decreased behavioral health funding from other sources. Substantially more respondents in California than in Washington State strongly agreed that taxes’ reporting requirements were complicated (45% vs. 5%, p<0.001) and that the taxes increased unjustified scrutiny of services or systems (33% vs. 2%, p<0.001). However, more respondents in California than in Washington State also strongly agreed that the taxes increased public awareness about behavioral health (56% vs. 15%, p<0.001) and decreased behavioral health stigma (47% vs. 14%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of taxes earmarked for behavioral health services may vary by design features of the tax. Such features include stigma-reduction initiatives and tax spending and reporting requirements.Acceptability and feasibility of policy implementation strategies for taxes earmarked for behavioral health services
AbstractPurtle, J., Stadnick, N. A., Wynecoop, M., Walker, S. C., Bruns, E. J., & Aarons, G. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Frontiers in Health ServicesVolume
4AbstractBackground: This study's aims are to: (1) Compare the acceptability and feasibility of five types of implementation strategies that could be deployed to increase the reach of evidence-based practices (EBPs) with revenue from policies that earmark taxes for behavioral health services, and (2) Illustrate how definitions of implementation strategies and measures of acceptability and feasibility can be used in policy-focused implementation science research. Methods: Web-based surveys of public agency and community organization professionals involved with earmarked tax policy implementation were completed in 2022–2023 (N = 211, response rate = 24.9%). Respondents rated the acceptability and feasibility of five types of implementation strategies (dissemination, implementation process, integration, capacity-building, and scale-up). Aggregate acceptability and feasibility scores were calculated for each type of strategy (scoring range 4–20). Analyses of variance compared scores across strategies and between organizational actor types. Findings: For acceptability, capacity-building strategies had the highest rating (M = 16.3, SD = 3.0), significantly higher than each of the four other strategies, p ≤. 004), and scale-up strategies had the lowest rating (M = 15.6). For feasibility, dissemination strategies had the highest rating (M = 15.3, significantly higher than three of the other strategies, p ≤.002) and scale-up strategies had the lowest rating (M = 14.4). Conclusions: Capacity-building and dissemination strategies may be well-received and readily deployed by policy implementers to support EBPs implementation with revenue from taxes earmarked for behavioral health services. Adapting definitions of implementation strategies for policy-focused topics, and applying established measures of acceptability and feasibility to these strategies, demonstrates utility as an approach to advance research on policy-focused implementation strategies.Methods and measures to evaluate the impact of participatory model building on public policymakers: a scoping review protocol
AbstractHenson, R. M., Purtle, J., Headen, I., Stankov, I., & Langellier, B. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
BMJ openVolume
14Issue
1AbstractIntroduction Public policymakers are increasingly engaged in participatory model building processes, such as group model building. Understanding the impacts of policymaker participation in these processes on policymakers is important given that their decisions often have significant influence on the dynamics of complex systems that affect health. Little is known about the extent to which the impacts of participatory model building on public policymakers have been evaluated or the methods and measures used to evaluate these impacts. Methods and analysis A scoping review protocol was developed with the objectives of: (1) scoping studies that have evaluated the impacts of facilitated participatory model building processes on public policymakers who participated in these processes; and (2) describing methods and measures used to evaluate impacts and the main findings of these evaluations. The Joanna Briggs Institute's Population, Concept, Context framework was used to formulate the article identification process. Seven electronic databases - MEDLINE (Ovid), ProQuest Health and Medical, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase (Ovid), CINAHL Complete and PsycInfo - will be searched. Identified articles will be screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist for scoping reviews will be used and reported. A data extraction tool will collect information across three domains: study characteristics, methods and measures, and findings. The review will be conducted using Covidence, a systematic review data management platform. Ethics and dissemination The scoping review produced will generate an overview of how public policymaker engagement in participatory model building processes has been evaluated. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and to communities of practice that convene policymakers in participatory model building processes. This review will not require ethics approval because it is not human subject research.Policy dissemination and implementation research
Purtle, J., Crable, E. L., Cruden, G., Lee, M., Lengnick-Hall, R., Silver, D., & Raghavan, R. (n.d.). In Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (1–).Publication year
2024Page(s)
511-533Scaling Interventions to Manage Chronic Disease: Innovative Methods at the Intersection of Health Policy Research and Implementation Science
AbstractMcGinty, E. E., Seewald, N. J., Bandara, S., Cerdá, M., Daumit, G. L., Eisenberg, M. D., Griffin, B. A., Igusa, T., Jackson, J. W., Kennedy-Hendricks, A., Marsteller, J., Miech, E. J., Purtle, J., Schmid, I., Schuler, M. S., Yuan, C. T., & Stuart, E. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Prevention ScienceVolume
25Page(s)
96-108AbstractPolicy implementation is a key component of scaling effective chronic disease prevention and management interventions. Policy can support scale-up by mandating or incentivizing intervention adoption, but enacting a policy is only the first step. Fully implementing a policy designed to facilitate implementation of health interventions often requires a range of accompanying implementation structures, like health IT systems, and implementation strategies, like training. Decision makers need to know what policies can support intervention adoption and how to implement those policies, but to date research on policy implementation is limited and innovative methodological approaches are needed. In December 2021, the Johns Hopkins ALACRITY Center for Health and Longevity in Mental Illness and the Johns Hopkins Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy convened a forum of research experts to discuss approaches for studying policy implementation. In this report, we summarize the ideas that came out of the forum. First, we describe a motivating example focused on an Affordable Care Act Medicaid health home waiver policy used by some US states to support scale-up of an evidence-based integrated care model shown in clinical trials to improve cardiovascular care for people with serious mental illness. Second, we define key policy implementation components including structures, strategies, and outcomes. Third, we provide an overview of descriptive, predictive and associational, and causal approaches that can be used to study policy implementation. We conclude with discussion of priorities for methodological innovations in policy implementation research, with three key areas identified by forum experts: effect modification methods for making causal inferences about how policies’ effects on outcomes vary based on implementation structures/strategies; causal mediation approaches for studying policy implementation mechanisms; and characterizing uncertainty in systems science models. We conclude with discussion of overarching methods considerations for studying policy implementation, including measurement of policy implementation, strategies for studying the role of context in policy implementation, and the importance of considering when establishing causality is the goal of policy implementation research.Using policy codesign to achieve multi-sector alignment in adolescent behavioral health: a study protocol
AbstractWalker, S. C., Ahrens, K. R., Owens, M. D., Parnes, M., Langley, J., Ackerley, C., Purtle, J., Saldana, L., Aarons, G. A., Hogue, A., & Palinkas, L. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Implementation Science CommunicationsVolume
5Issue
1AbstractBackground: Policymaking is quickly gaining focus in the field of implementation science as a potential opportunity for aligning cross-sector systems and introducing incentives to promote population health, including substance use disorders (SUD) and their prevention in adolescents. Policymakers are seen as holding the necessary levers for realigning service infrastructure to more rapidly and effectively address adolescent behavioral health across the continuum of need (prevention through crisis care, mental health, and SUD) and in multiple locations (schools, primary care, community settings). The difficulty of aligning policy intent, policy design, and successful policy implementation is a well-known challenge in the broader public policy and public administration literature that also affects local behavioral health policymaking. This study will examine a blended approach of coproduction and codesign (i.e., Policy Codesign), iteratively developed over multiple years to address problems in policy formation that often lead to poor implementation outcomes. The current study evaluates this scalable approach using reproducible measures to grow the knowledge base in this field of study. Methods: This is a single-arm, longitudinal, staggered implementation study to examine the acceptability and short-term impacts of Policy Codesign in resolving critical challenges in behavioral health policy formation. The aims are to (1) examine the acceptability, feasibility, and reach of Policy Codesign within two geographically distinct counties in Washington state, USA; (2) examine the impact of Policy Codesign on multisector policy development within these counties using social network analysis; and (3) assess the perceived replicability of Policy Codesign among leaders and other staff of policy-oriented state behavioral health intermediary organizations across the USA. Discussion: This study will assess the feasibility of a specific approach to collaborative policy development, Policy Codesign, in two diverse regions. Results will inform a subsequent multi-state study measuring the impact and effectiveness of this approach for achieving multi-sector and evidence informed policy development in adolescent SUD prevention and treatment.What social norms are associated with parenting programs?
AbstractSrivastav, A., Nelson, K. L., McRell, A. S., Wilson, A., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Child and Adolescent Social Work JournalVolume
41Issue
3Page(s)
349-355AbstractPurpose: Positive parenting and parental skill building are associated with child well-being and can be enhanced through community-based parenting interventions. Although parenting intervention access and participation are influenced by individual and community-level factors, little is known about how social norms around parenting predict support for parenting interventions and parenting programs. To better understand the association between personal beliefs, help seeking social norms and support for parenting interventions, we examined survey data collected through phone interviews of adults living in South Carolina, United States (n = 1,143). Methods: One-way ANOVAs assessed the relationship between personal beliefs and perceived social norms (what participants think are norms in their community) about seeking help for parenting and support for parenting interventions. Results: The extent to which personal beliefs and social norms related to parenting support were associated with parenting support was estimated using ordinary least squares regression models. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, awareness of where to go to get parenting knowledge and skills, believing that the government and other organizations should help parents who do not have support from family and friends, and believing that parents need support from family and friends “when parenting gets hard” all predicted support for believing that “all first-time parents should have the option of no cost in-home parenting support.” Believing that parents need support from family and friends when parenting gets hard predicted support for state government tax credits for attending positive parenting classes. Discussion: Activating these specific norms can help home visiting and positive parenting program investment and use and can encourage positive parenting practices.A landscape assessment of the activities and capacities of evidence-to-policy intermediaries (EPI) in behavioral health
AbstractAlmquist, L., Walker, S. C., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Science CommunicationsVolume
4Issue
1AbstractBackground: A significant gap exists between the production of research evidence and its use in behavioral health policymaking. Organizations providing consulting and support activities for improving policy represent a promising source for strengthening the infrastructure to address this gap. Understanding the characteristics and activities of these evidence-to-policy intermediary (EPI) organizations can inform the development of capacity-building activities, leading to strengthened evidence-to-policy infrastructure and more widespread evidence-based policymaking. Methods: Online surveys were sent to 51 organizations from English-speaking countries involved in evidence-to-policy activities in behavioral health. The survey was grounded in a rapid evidence review of the academic literature regarding strategies used to influence research use in policymaking. The review identified 17 strategies, which were classified into four activity categories. We administered the surveys via Qualtrics and calculated the descriptive statistics, scales, and internal consistency statistics using R. Results: A total of 31 individuals completed the surveys from 27 organizations (53% response rate) in four English-speaking countries. EPIs were evenly split between university (49%) and non-university (51%) settings. Nearly all EPIs conducted direct program support (mean = 4.19/5 [sd = 1.25]) and knowledge-building (4.03 [1.17]) activities. However, engagement with traditionally marginalized and non-traditional partners (2.84 [1.39]) and development of evidence reviews using formal critical appraisal methods (2.81 [1.70]) were uncommon. EPIs tend to be specialized, focusing on a group of highly related strategies rather than incorporating multiple evidence-to-policy strategies in their portfolios. Inter-item consistency was moderate to high, with scale α’s ranging from 0.67 to 0.85. Ratings of respondents’ willingness to pay for training in one of three evidence dissemination strategies revealed high interest in program and policy design. Conclusions: Our results suggest that evidence-to-policy strategies are frequently used by existing EPIs; however, organizations tend to specialize rather than engage in a breadth of strategies. Furthermore, few organizations reported consistently engaging with non-traditional or community partners. Focusing on building capacity for a network of new and existing EPIs could be a promising strategy for growing the infrastructure needed for evidence-informed behavioral health policymaking.A policy implementation study of earmarked taxes for mental health services: study protocol
AbstractPurtle, J., Stadnick, N. A., Wynecoop, M., Bruns, E. J., Crane, M. E., & Aarons, G. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Science CommunicationsVolume
4Issue
1AbstractBackground: Insufficient funding is frequently identified as a critical barrier to the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBPs). Thus, increasing access to funding is recognized as an implementation strategy. Policies that create earmarked taxes—defined as taxes for which revenue can only be spent on specific activities—are an increasingly common mental health financing strategy that could improve the reach of EBPs. This project’s specific aims are to (1) identify all jurisdictions in the USA that have implemented earmarked taxes for mental health and catalogue information about tax design; (2) characterize experiences implementing earmarked taxes among local (e.g., county, city) mental health agency leaders and other government and community organization officials and assess their perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of different types of policy implementation strategies; and (3) develop a framework to guide effect earmarked tax designs, inform the selection of implementation strategies, and disseminate the framework to policy audiences. Methods: The project uses the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework to inform data collection about the determinants and processes of tax implementation and Leeman’s typology of implementation strategies to examine the acceptability and feasibility strategies which could support earmarked tax policy implementation. A legal mapping will be conducted to achieve aim 1. To achieve aim 2, a survey will be conducted of 300 local mental health agency leaders and other government and community organization officials involved with the implementation of earmarked taxes for mental health. The survey will be followed by approximately 50 interviews with these officials. To achieve aim 3, quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated through a systematic framework development and dissemination process. Discussion: This exploratory policy implementation process study will build the evidence base for outer-context implementation determinants and strategies by focusing on policies that earmarked taxes for mental health services.Amplifying consumers as partners in dissemination and implementation science and practice
AbstractCrane, M. E., Purtle, J., & Becker, S. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Research and PracticeVolume
4AbstractBackground: This Viewpoint argues for consumers (people with lived experience and their families) to be amplified as key partners in dissemination and implementation science and practice. Method: We contend that consumer opinion and consumer demand can be harnessed to influence practitioners and policymakers. Results: Amplifying consumers’ voices can improve the fit of evidence-based interventions to the intended end user. We offer recommendations of frameworks to engage consumers in the dissemination and implementation of health interventions. We discuss the primary types of evidence consumers may rely upon, including testimonials and lived experience. Conclusions: Our intention is for this Viewpoint to continue the momentum in dissemination and implementation science and practice of engaging consumers in our work.An Examination of Factors Affecting State Legislators’ Support for Parity Laws for Different Mental Illnesses
AbstractPilar, M., Purtle, J., Powell, B. J., Mazzucca, S., Eyler, A. A., & Brownson, R. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Community mental health journalVolume
59Issue
1Page(s)
122-131AbstractMental health parity legislation can improve mental health outcomes. U.S. state legislators determine whether state parity laws are adopted, making it critical to assess factors affecting policy support. This study examines the prevalence and demographic correlates of legislators’ support for state parity laws for four mental illnesses— major depression disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and anorexia/bulimia. Using a 2017 cross-sectional survey of 475 U.S. legislators, we conducted bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression. Support for parity was highest for schizophrenia (57%), PTSD (55%), and major depression (53%) and lowest for anorexia/bulimia (40%). Support for parity was generally higher among females, more liberal legislators, legislators in the Northeast region of the country, and those who had previously sought treatment for mental illness. These findings highlight the importance of better disseminating evidence about anorexia/bulimia and can inform dissemination efforts about mental health parity laws to state legislators.Comparing organization-focused and state-focused financing strategies on provider-level reach of a youth substance use treatment model: a mixed-method study
AbstractDopp, A. R., Hunter, S. B., Godley, M. D., González, I., Bongard, M., Han, B., Cantor, J., Hindmarch, G., Lindquist, K., Wright, B., Schlang, D., Passetti, L. L., Wright, K. L., Kilmer, B., Aarons, G. A., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation ScienceVolume
18Issue
1AbstractBackground: Financial barriers in substance use disorder service systems have limited the widespread adoption—i.e., provider-level reach—of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for youth substance use disorders. Reach is essential to maximizing the population-level impact of EBPs. One promising, but rarely studied, type of implementation strategy for overcoming barriers to EBP reach is financing strategies, which direct financial resources in various ways to support implementation. We evaluated financing strategies for the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) EBP by comparing two US federal grant mechanisms, organization-focused and state-focused grants, on organization-level A-CRA reach outcomes. Method: A-CRA implementation took place through organization-focused and state-focused grantee cohorts from 2006 to 2021. We used a quasi-experimental, mixed-method design to compare reach between treatment organizations funded by organization-focused versus state-focused grants (164 organizations, 35 states). Using administrative training records, we calculated reach as the per-organization proportion of trained individuals who received certification in A-CRA clinical delivery and/or supervision by the end of grant funding. We tested differences in certification rate by grant type using multivariable linear regression models that controlled for key covariates (e.g., time), and tested threats to internal validity from our quasi-experimental design through a series of sensitivity analyses. We also drew on interviews and surveys collected from the treatment organizations and (when relevant) interviews with state administrators to identify factors that influenced reach. Results: The overall certification rates were 27 percentage points lower in state-focused versus organization-focused grants (p =.01). Sensitivity analyses suggested these findings were not explained by confounding temporal trends nor by organizational or state characteristics. We did not identify significant quantitative moderators of reach outcomes, but qualitative findings suggested certain facilitating factors were more influential for organization-focused grants (e.g., strategic planning) and certain barrier factors were more impactful for state-focused grants (e.g., states finding it difficult to execute grant activities). Discussion: As the first published comparison of EBP reach outcomes between financing strategies, our findings can help guide state and federal policy related to financing strategies for implementing EBPs that reduce youth substance use. Future work should explore contextual conditions under which different financing strategies can support the widespread implementation of EBPs for substance use disorder treatment.County- and state-level immigration policies are associated with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among Latino households
AbstractChaparro, M. P., Auchincloss, A. H., Argibay, S., Ruggiero, D. A., Purtle, J., & Langellier, B. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Social Science and MedicineVolume
333AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the association between county- and state-level immigrant criminalizing and integrating policies and Latino household participation in the largest safety net program against food insecurity in the U.S., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Our outcome, county-level proportion of SNAP-participating Latino households, and county-level covariates were obtained from the American Community Survey 1-year county files (N = 675 counties) for 13 years (2007–2019). Our exposures were county-level presence of sanctuary policies and a state-level immigrant friendliness score, created based on 19 immigrant criminalizing and integrating state-level policies obtained from the Urban Institute's State Immigration Policies Resource. We classified every county in the sample as 1) sanctuary policy + immigrant friendly state, 2) sanctuary policy + immigrant unfriendly state, 3) no sanctuary policy + immigrant friendly state, and 4) no sanctuary policy + immigrant unfriendly state. Using multivariable generalized linear models that adjusted for poverty levels and other social composition characteristics of counties, we found that county-level SNAP participation among Latino households was 1.1 percentage-point higher in counties with sanctuary policies (B = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.26–1.98), compared to counties with no sanctuary policies, and 1.6 percentage-point higher in counties with sanctuary policies in immigrant friendly states (B = 1.59, 95%CI = 0.33–2.84), compared to counties with no sanctuary policy in immigrant unfriendly states. Local and state immigration policy, even when unrelated to SNAP eligibility, may influence SNAP participation among Latino households. Jurisdictions which lack sanctuary policies or have more criminalizing and less integrating policies should consider adopting targeted outreach strategies to increase SNAP enrollment among Latino households.Earmarked Taxes for Mental Health Services in the United States: A Local and State Legal Mapping Study
AbstractPurtle, J., Wynecoop, M., Crane, M. E., & Stadnick, N. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Milbank QuarterlyVolume
101Issue
2Page(s)
457-485AbstractPolicy Points Local governments are increasingly adopting policies that earmark taxes for mental health services, and approximately 30% of the US population lives in a jurisdiction with such a policy. Policies earmarking taxes for mental health services are heterogenous in their design, spending requirements, and oversight. In many jurisdictions, the annual per capita revenue generated by these taxes exceeds that of some major federal funding sources for mental health. Context: State and local governments have been adopting taxes that earmark (i.e., dedicate) revenue for mental health. However, this emergent financing model has not been systematically assessed. We sought to identify all jurisdictions in the United States with policies earmarking taxes for mental health services and characterize attributes of these taxes. Methods: A legal mapping study was conducted. Literature reviews and 11 key informant interviews informed search strings. We then searched legal databases (HeinOnline, Cheetah tax repository) and municipal data sources. We collected information on the year the tax went into effect, passage by ballot initiative (yes/no), tax base, tax rate, and revenue generated annually (gross and per capita). Findings: We identified 207 policies earmarking taxes for mental health services (95.7% local, 4.3% state, 95.7% passed via ballot initiative). Property taxes (73.9%) and sales taxes/fees (25.1%) were most common. There was substantial heterogeneity in tax design, spending requirements, and oversight. Approximately 30% of the US population lives in a jurisdiction with a tax earmarked for mental health, and these taxes generate over $3.57 billion annually. The median per capita annual revenue generated by these taxes was $18.59 (range = $0.04-$197.09). Per capita annual revenue exceeded $25.00 in 63 jurisdictions (about five times annual per capita spending for mental health provided by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Conclusions: Policies earmarking taxes for mental health services are diverse in design and are an increasingly common local financing strategy. The revenue generated by these taxes is substantial in many jurisdictions.Four very basic ways to think about policy in implementation science
AbstractPurtle, J., Moucheraud, C., Yang, L. H., & Shelley, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Science CommunicationsVolume
4Issue
1AbstractBackground: Policy is receiving increasing attention in the field of implementation science. However, there remains a lack of clear, concise guidance about how policy can be conceptualized in implementation science research. Building on Curran’s article “Implementation science made too simple”—which defines “the thing” as the intervention, practice, or innovation in need of implementation support—we offer a typology of four very basic ways to conceptualize policy in implementation science research. We provide examples of studies that have conceptualized policy in these different ways and connect aspects of the typology to established frameworks in the field. The typology simplifies and refines related typologies in the field. Four very basic ways to think about policy in implementation science research. 1) Policy as something to adopt: an evidence-supported policy proposal is conceptualized as “the thing” and the goal of research is to understand how policymaking processes can be modified to increase adoption, and thus reach, of the evidence-supported policy. Policy-focused dissemination research is well-suited to achieve this goal. 2) Policy as something to implement: a policy, evidence-supported or not, is conceptualized as “the thing” and the goal of research is to generate knowledge about how policy rollout (or policy de-implementation) can be optimized to maximize benefits for population health and health equity. Policy-focused implementation research is well-suited to achieve this goal. 3) Policy as context to understand: an evidence-supported intervention is “the thing” and policies are conceptualized as a fixed determinant of implementation outcomes. The goal of research is to understand the mechanisms through which policies affect implementation of the evidence-supported intervention. 4) Policy as strategy to use: an evidence-supported intervention is “the thing” and policy is conceptualized as a strategy to affect implementation outcomes. The goal of research is to understand, and ideally test, how policy strategies affect implementation outcomes related to the evidence-supported intervention. Conclusion: Policy can be conceptualized in multiple, non-mutually exclusive ways in implementation science. Clear conceptualizations of these distinctions are important to advancing the field of policy-focused implementation science and promoting the integration of policy into the field more broadly.Growing inequities in mental health crisis services offered to indigent patients in Puerto Rico versus the US states before and after Hurricanes Maria and Irma
AbstractPurtle, J., Rivera-González, A. C., Mercado, D. L., Barajas, C. B., Chavez, L., Canino, G., & Ortega, A. N. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Health Services ResearchVolume
58Issue
2Page(s)
325-331AbstractObjective: To assess changes in the availability of mental health crisis services in Puerto Rico relative to US states before and after Hurricanes Maria and Irma. Data Sources/Study Setting: National Mental Health Services Surveys conducted in 2016 and 2020. Study design: Repeated cross-sectional design. The independent variable was mental health facility location in Puerto Rico or a US state. Dependent variables were the availability of three mental health crisis services (psychiatric emergency walk-in services, suicide prevention services, and crisis intervention team services). Data Collection/Extraction Methods: The proportion and per 100,000 population rate of facilities offering crisis services were calculated. Principal Findings: The availability of crisis services at mental health facilities in Puerto Rico remained stable between 2016 and 2020. These services were offered less at indigent care facilities in Puerto Rico than US states (e.g., 38.2% vs. 49.5% for suicide prevention, p = 0.06) and the magnitude of difference increased following Hurricane Maria. Conclusions: There are disparities between Puerto Rico and US states in the availability of mental health crisis services for indigent patients.Implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Estimating State-Level Increases in Call Demand Costs and Financing
AbstractPurtle, J., Chance Ortego, J., Bandara, S., Goldstein, A., Pantalone, J., & Goldman, M. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Journal of Mental Health Policy and EconomicsVolume
26Issue
2Page(s)
85-95AbstractBackground: Per federal law, “988” became the new three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on July 16, 2022 (previously reached by dialing “1-800-283-TALK”). Aims of the Study: This study aimed to produce state-level estimates of: (i) annual increases in 988 Lifeline call volume following 988 implementation, (ii) the cost of these increases, and (iii) the extent to which state and federal funding earmarked for increases in 988 Lifeline call volume are sufficient to meet call demand. Method: A 50 state pre-post policy implementation design was used. State-level Lifeline call volume data were obtained. For each state, we calculated the absolute difference in number of Lifeline calls in the four-month periods between August-November 2021 (pre-988 implementation) and August-November 2022 (post-988 implementation), and also expressed this difference as percent change and rate per 100,000 population. The difference call volume was multiplied by a published estimate of the cost of a single 988 Lifeline call ($82), and then by multiplied by three to produce annual, 12-month state-level cost increase estimates. These figures were then divided by each state's population size to generate cost estimates per state resident. State-level information on the amount of state (FY 2023) and federal SAMHSA (FY 2022) funding earmarked for 988 Lifeline centers in response to 988 implementation were obtained from legal databases and government websites and expressed as dollars per state resident. State-level differences between per state resident estimates of increased cost and funding were calculated to assess the extent to which state and federal funding earmarked for increases in 988 Lifeline call volume were sufficient to meet call demand. Results: 988 Lifeline call volume increased in all states post-988 implementation (within-state mean percent change = +32.8%, SD = +20.5%). The total estimated cost needed annually to accommodate increases in 988 Lifeline call volume nationally was approximately $46 million. The within-state mean estimate of additional cost per state resident was +$0.16 (SD = +$0.11). The additional annual cost per state resident exceeded $0.40 in three states, was between $0.40- $0.30 in three states, and between $0.30- $0.20 in seven states. Twenty-two states earmarked FY 2023 appropriations for 988 Lifeline centers in response to 988 (within-state mean per state resident = $1.51, SD = $1.52) and 49 states received SAMHSA 988 capacity building grants (within-state mean per state resident = $0.36, SD = $0.39). State funding increases exceeded the estimated cost increases in about half of states. Conclusions: The Lifeline's transition to 988 increased 988 Lifeline call volume in all states, but the magnitude of the increase and associated cost was heterogenous across states. State funding earmarked for increases in 988 Lifeline center costs is sufficient in about half of states. Sustained federal funding, and/or increases in state funding, earmarked for 988 Lifeline centers is likely important to ensuring that 988 Lifeline centers have the capacity to meet call demand in the post-988 implementation environment.National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 2020 In-State Answer Rates, Stratified by Call Volume Rates and Geographic Region
Purtle, J., Lindsey, M. A., Raghavan, R., & Stuart, E. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Psychiatric ServicesVolume
74Issue
2Page(s)
204-205Newspaper Coverage of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in the United States, 2014–2020: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions
AbstractPurtle, J., Bowler, S., Boughter-Dornfeld, M., Nelson, K. L., & Gollust, S. E. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Trauma, Violence, and AbuseVolume
24Issue
1Page(s)
313-323AbstractNews media can shape public opinion about child adversity and influence the translation of research into public policy. Research about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress has increased dramatically in recent years, but little is known about how these concepts are covered in news media. We reviewed how newspapers in the United States have portrayed the consequences of, causes of, and solutions to address ACEs and toxic stress, examined trends in newspaper coverage, and assessed differences in coverage of ACEs versus toxic stress. Quantitative content analysis was conducted of 746 newspaper articles mentioning “adverse childhood experience(s)” and/or “toxic stress” published in 25 U.S. newspapers between January 1, 2014, and May 30, 2020. κ statistics of interrater reliability were calculated, and variables with κ ≥.60 were retained for quantitative analysis. We found that newspaper coverage of ACEs and toxic stress increased dramatically between 2014 and 2018 and then sharply declined. Only 13.3% of articles mentioned both ACEs and toxic stress. There were many statistically significant (p <.05) differences in the causes, consequences, and solutions identified in articles focused on ACEs versus toxic stress. Coverage of both concepts predominantly focused on consequences for individuals, not society. However, 54.6% of articles identified a structural cause of ACEs and/or toxic stress. Increased volume in newspaper coverage about ACEs and toxic stress could increase public awareness about the relationship between childhood adversity and adult outcomes. There is a need to portray ACEs and toxic stress as complementary concepts more coherently in news media.Revisiting the policy ecology framework for implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health settings
AbstractWortham, W. K., Rodwin, A. H., Purtle, J., Munson, M. R., & Raghavan, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation ScienceVolume
18Issue
1AbstractBackground: Over the past three decades, policy actors and actions have been highly influential in supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mental health settings. An early examination of these actions resulted in the Policy Ecology Framework (PEF), which was originally developed as a tactical primer for state and local mental health regulators in the field of child mental health. However, the policy landscape for implementation has evolved significantly since the original PEF was published. An interrogation of the strategies originally proposed in the PEF is necessary to provide an updated menu of strategies to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of policy action and promote system improvement. Objectives: This paper builds upon the original PEF to address changes in the policy landscape for the implementation of mental health EBPs between 2009 and 2022. We review the current state of policy strategies that support the implementation of EBPs in mental health care and outline key areas for policy-oriented implementation research. Our review identifies policy strategies at federal, state, agency, and organizational levels, and highlights developments in the social context in which EBPs are implemented. Furthermore, our review is organized around some key changes that occurred across each PEF domain that span organizational, agency, political, and social contexts along with subdomains within each area. Discussion: We present an updated menu of policy strategies to support the implementation of EBPs in mental health settings. This updated menu of strategies considers the broad range of conceptual developments and changes in the policy landscape. These developments have occurred across the organizational, agency, political, and social contexts and are important for policymakers to consider in the context of supporting the implementation of EBPs. Summary: The updated PEF expands and enhances the specification of policy levers currently available, and identifies policy targets that are underdeveloped (e.g., de-implementation and sustainment) but are becoming visible opportunities for policy to support system improvement. The updated PEF clarifies current policy efforts within the field of implementation science in health to conceptualize and better operationalize the role of policy in the implementation of EBPs.State and Federal Legislators’ Responses on Social Media to the Mental Health and Burnout of Health Care Workers Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: Natural Language Processing and Sentiment Analysis
AbstractAbrams, M. P., Pelullo, A. P., Meisel, Z. F., Merchant, R. M., Purtle, J., & Agarwal, A. K. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
JMIR InfodemiologyVolume
3AbstractBackground: Burnout and the mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately impacted health care workers. The links between state policies, federal regulations, COVID-19 case counts, strains on health care systems, and the mental health of health care workers continue to evolve. The language used by state and federal legislators in public-facing venues such as social media is important, as it impacts public opinion and behavior, and it also reflects current policy-leader opinions and planned legislation. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine legislators’ social media content on Twitter and Facebook throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to thematically characterize policy makers’ attitudes and perspectives related to mental health and burnout in the health care workforce. Methods: Legislators’ social media posts about mental health and burnout in the health care workforce were collected from January 2020 to November 2021 using Quorum, a digital database of policy-related documents. The total number of relevant social media posts per state legislator per calendar month was calculated and compared with COVID-19 case volume. Differences between themes expressed in Democratic and Republican posts were estimated using the Pearson chi-square test. Words within social media posts most associated with each political party were determined. Machine-learning was used to evaluate naturally occurring themes in the burnout- and mental health–related social media posts. Results: A total of 4165 social media posts (1400 tweets and 2765 Facebook posts) were generated by 2047 unique state and federal legislators and 38 government entities. The majority of posts (n=2319, 55.68%) were generated by Democrats, followed by Republicans (n=1600, 40.34%). Among both parties, the volume of burnout-related posts was greatest during the initial COVID-19 surge. However, there was significant variation in the themes expressed by the 2 major political parties. Themes most correlated with Democratic posts were (1) frontline care and burnout, (2) vaccines, (3) COVID-19 outbreaks, and (4) mental health services. Themes most correlated with Republican social media posts were (1) legislation, (2) call for local action, (3) government support, and (4) health care worker testing and mental health. Conclusions: State and federal legislators use social media to share opinions and thoughts on key topics, including burnout and mental health strain among health care workers. Variations in the volume of posts indicated that a focus on burnout and the mental health of the health care workforce existed early in the pandemic but has waned. Significant differences emerged in the content posted by the 2 major US political parties, underscoring how each prioritized different aspects of the crisis.State Legislator Social Media Posts about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Purtle, J., Soltero, M., Crane, M. E., McSorley, A. M. M., Knapp, M., & Drapeau, C. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
JAMA network openVolume
6Issue
10Tailoring dissemination strategies to increase evidence-informed policymaking for opioid use disorder treatment: study protocol
AbstractCrable, E. L., Grogan, C. M., Purtle, J., Roesch, S. C., & Aarons, G. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Science CommunicationsVolume
4Issue
1AbstractBackground: Policy is a powerful tool for systematically altering healthcare access and quality, but the research to policy gap impedes translating evidence-based practices into public policy and limits widespread improvements in service and population health outcomes. The US opioid epidemic disproportionately impacts Medicaid members who rely on publicly funded benefits to access evidence-based treatment including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). A myriad of misaligned policies and evidence-use behaviors by policymakers across federal agencies, state Medicaid agencies, and managed care organizations limit coverage of and access to MOUD for Medicaid members. Dissemination strategies that improve policymakers’ use of current evidence are critical to improving MOUD benefits and reducing health disparities. However, no research describes key determinants of Medicaid policymakers’ evidence use behaviors or preferences, and few studies have examined data-driven approaches to developing dissemination strategies to enhance evidence-informed policymaking. This study aims to identify determinants and intermediaries that influence policymakers’ evidence use behaviors, then develop and test data-driven tailored dissemination strategies that promote MOUD coverage in benefit arrays. Methods: Guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework, we will conduct a national survey of state Medicaid agency and managed care organization policymakers to identify determinants and intermediaries that influence how they seek, receive, and use research in their decision-making processes. We will use latent class methods to empirically identify subgroups of agencies with distinct evidence use behaviors. A 10-step dissemination strategy development and specification process will be used to tailor strategies to significant predictors identified for each latent class. Tailored dissemination strategies will be deployed to each class of policymakers and assessed for their acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility for delivering evidence about MOUD benefit design. Discussion: This study will illuminate key determinants and intermediaries that influence policymakers’ evidence use behaviors when designing benefits for MOUD. This study will produce a critically needed set of data-driven, tailored policy dissemination strategies. Study results will inform a subsequent multi-site trial measuring the effectiveness of tailored dissemination strategies on MOUD benefit design and implementation. Lessons from dissemination strategy development will inform future research about policymakers’ evidence use preferences and offer a replicable process for tailoring dissemination strategies.Unintended consequences of disseminating behavioral health evidence to policymakers: Results from a survey-based experiment
AbstractPurtle, J., Nelson, K. L., Lê-Scherban, F., & Gollust, S. E. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Implementation Research and PracticeVolume
4AbstractBackground: Communication research demonstrates that messages often have unintended consequences, but this work has received limited attention in implementation science. This dissemination experiment sought to determine whether state-tailored policy briefs about the behavioral health consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), compared to national policy briefs on the topic, increased state legislators’/staffers’ perceptions of the policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs, and whether effects differed between Democrats and Republicans. Method: A preregistered, web-based survey experiment with U.S. state legislators/staffers was conducted in 2021 (n = 133). Respondents were randomized to view a policy brief about the behavioral health consequences of ACEs that included state-tailored data (intervention condition) or national data (control condition) and then answered survey questions. Dependent variables were perceived policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs. Results: The mean policy brief relevance score was 4.1% higher in the intervention than in the control condition (p =.24), but the mean parental blame score was 16.5% higher (p =.02). When outcomes were dichotomized, 61.2% of respondents in the intervention condition rated parents as “very much to blame” for the consequences of ACEs compared to 37.1% in the control condition (p =.01). When the sample was stratified by political affiliation, the effect of the state-tailored policy brief on parental blame was larger in magnitude among Democrats and not significant among Republicans. The intervention policy brief increased the mean parental blame score by 22.8% among Democrats relative to the control policy brief (p =.007) and doubled the proportion rating parents as “very much to blame” (52.2% vs. 26.1%, p =.03). Conclusions: Despite limited statistical power, state-tailored policy briefs significantly increased state legislators’/staffers’ perceptions of parental blame for the behavioral health consequences of ACEs, relative to a policy brief with national data. Unintended messaging effects warrant greater attention in dissemination research and practice.Use of qualitative systems mapping and causal loop diagrams to understand food environments, diet and obesity: a scoping review protocol
AbstractStankov, I., Henson, R. M., Headen, I., Purtle, J., & Langellier, B. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
BMJ openVolume
13Issue
3AbstractIntroduction Food systems can shape dietary behaviour and obesity outcomes in complex ways. Qualitative systems mapping using causal loop diagrams (CLDs) can depict how people understand the complex dynamics, inter-relationships and feedback characteristic of food systems in ways that can support policy planning and action. To date, there has been no attempt to review this literature. The objectives of this review are to scope the extent and nature of studies using qualitative systems mapping to facilitate the development of CLDs by stakeholders to understand food environments, including settings and populations represented, key findings and the methodological processes employed. It also seeks to identify gaps in knowledge and implications for policy and practice. Methods and analysis This protocol describes a scoping review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute manual, the framework by Khalil and colleagues and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist reporting guidelines. A search strategy was iteratively developed with two academic librarians and the research team. This strategy will be used to search six databases, including Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, EmCare, Web of Science, Scopus and ProQuest Central. Identified citations will be screened by two independent reviewers; first, by title and abstract, and then full-text articles to identify papers eligible for inclusion. The reference lists of included studies and relevant systematic reviews will be searched to identify other papers eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers will extract information from all included studies and summarise the findings descriptively and numerically. Ethics and dissemination The scoping review will provide an overview of how CLDs developed by stakeholders have been elicited to understand food environments, diet and obesity, the insights gained and how the CLDs have been used. It will also highlight gaps in knowledge and implications for policy and practice. The review will be disseminated through publication in an academic journal and conference presentations.