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Courses - Spring 2026
HLSA
Health Services Administration Department Site
HLSA717
Behavioral Health Policy
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
This course examines the policies that shape the behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use disorder) care system in the United States. We will begin with an overview of the behavioral health care system, diving into its patient population, workforce, service settings, and financing mechanisms--while paying particular attention to persistent treatment gaps and barriers to access. We will then investigate the key historical and political developments, such as deinstitutionalization and the war on drugs, that shaped U.S. behavioral health policy. Finally, we will turn toward current policy and practice challenges, including topics related to the opioid crisis, criminal legal involvement among people with behavioral health needs, community behavioral health care, and homelessness. By the end of the course, students will have a strong understanding of the behavioral health system and its policies, as well as insight into some of the most pressing public health challenges of our time.