Following her reelection as Indiana’s 52nd Lieutenant Governor in 2020, Suzanne Crouch added a new responsibility to her duties as President of the Indiana Senate and oversight of four state agencies—she founded the Indiana Roundtable on Mental Health. She chose not to make it the “Lt. Governor’s Roundtable” because she wanted to create a multi-sector membership with an entity operated by Sagamore Institute. And while the Roundtable members’ work comprises key components of the behavioral health ecosystem, many of the members advance public policy solutions. Please see some leading examples below.
Indiana’s mental health is everyone’s business. IMHR Co-Chairs Anne Hazlett and Marvin Richardson make the case in the Indianapolis Business Journal for why employers across the state must prioritize the mental well-being of their workforce. From rising rates of anxiety and depression to the bottom-line impact on productivity and retention, the stakes have never been higher.
Throughout her years of public service, Lt. Gov. Crouch has been committed to programs and services for Hoosiers with disabilities or who are struggling with mental illness or addictions. During the 2023 General Assembly, Lt. Gov. Crouch made history by passionately testifying in support of SEA 1, an uncommon effort for a sitting governor or lieutenant governor. The bill established infrastructure and funding for mental health and addiction services in Indiana.
Previously chaired by IMHR Strategy Director Jay Chaudhary, the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission was established in 2020; it convened 24 elected officials, stakeholders and behavioral health providers for a series of meetings over a two-year period. In September 2022, the Commission members delivered its final report to the Indiana General Assembly aimed at improving infrastructure in the mental health space, addressing significant workforce needs, and improving mental health outcomes through policy and funding recommendations. The headline featured in most news coverage was the daunting finding that untreated mental illness in Indiana costs $4.2 billion annually.
Sponsored by Roundtable member State Sen. Michael Crider, SEA 1 turned many of the Behavioral Health Commission’s recommendations into law. The act infused $100 million in new funding to lay the groundwork for expanding certified behavioral health centers in the state and the 9-8-8 National Suicide and Crisis Line across Indiana.
Roundtable member and Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush somberly tells audiences that the criminal justice system is the primary referrer to substance use disorder treatment and it is the largest provider of mental health services across the state. And while behavioral health is not at the center of her office’s charter, the Chief Justice has leaned hard into the opportunity to better serve those incarcerated since 70% suffer from addiction or mental illness. Nationally, she advanced behavioral health solutions as president of the Conference of Chief Justices and chair of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.
