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 at the New York University School of Global Public Health and also Director of Policy Research at NYU’s Global Center for Implementation Science.
Dr. Purtle is a mental health policy researcher and implementation scientist. His work examines questions such as how the implementation of policies “on the books” can be improved in practice, how research evidence can be most effectively communicated to policymakers and is used in policymaking processes, and how social and political contexts affect mental health policymaking and policy implementation. He is also studies population-based approaches to mental health, suicide prevention, and novel financing models for mental health services—such as earmarked taxes and fees.
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 a NIMH-funded project focused on financing policies related to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (R01MH131649), a NIDA-funded study (through the CHERISH Center, P30DA040500) that is analyzing social media data to identify audience segments of state legislators who conceptualize substance use issues in different ways and experimentally testing different ways of communicating evidence these legislators, and co-leading a NCI-funded study focused on cancer policy implementation strategies (R21ACA293319). He is also a co-investigator on projects focused on mental health and health care system resilience following disasters is Puerto Rico (R01MD016426) and Hawaiʻi (R61MD019939).
He has published over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles, is an Associate Editor at Implementation Science, Co-Chairs the Policy Advisory Board at Psychiatric Services, is on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and is Core Faculty of the NIMH-funded Implementation Research Institute.
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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 regional analysis of healthcare utilization trends during consecutive disasters in puerto rico using private claims data
AbstractStimpson, J. P., Mercado, D. L., Rivera-González, A. C., Purtle, J., & Ortega, A. N. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Scientific reportsVolume
15Issue
1AbstractPuerto Rico has endured multiple natural disasters in recent years, including Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017), earthquakes (2019), and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), which placed significant strain on its healthcare system. This study examined trends in health care utilization for injuries, infectious diseases, and mental health services across Puerto Rico’s health regions from 2016 to 2022. Using private claims data from four major insurers, we analyzed trends in health care utilization rates per 1,000 beneficiaries across seven health regions. Infectious disease claims rose significantly following each disaster, with the sharpest increases observed post-2020, particularly in the Caguas region. Mental health and substance use claims exhibited a consistent upward trend across all health regions, with Caguas and Ponce reporting the largest increases. Injury claims declined in 2020 but rebounded in most regions by 2021, with Caguas consistently reporting the highest rates. These findings highlight the substantial and varied impacts of consecutive disasters on health care utilization in Puerto Rico, particularly for infectious diseases and mental health services. Notable regional disparities, such as higher utilization rates in Caguas, underscore the need for interventions to strengthen health system resilience and ensure equitable healthcare access in preparation for future disasters.Causal Loop Diagrams of Food Systems, Diet, and Obesity : A Scoping Review of Methods, Contextual Factors, and Outcomes
Failed retrieving data.Changes in Specialty Crisis Services Offered Before and After the Launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
AbstractCantor, J., Schuler, M. S., Kerber, R., Purtle, J., & McBain, R. K. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
JAMA PsychiatryAbstractImportance: The launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) in July 2022 aimed to enhance access to crisis mental health services by replacing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline with a more memorable number and expanding the Lifeline scope beyond suicide. However, 988's success relies on the availability of community crisis services. Objective: To examine whether the launch of 988 was associated with the availability of crisis services. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study characterized trends in crisis services offered by US mental health treatment facilities (MHTFs) from November 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023. Longitudinal data were from the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository, which contains daily instances from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Behavioral Health Treatment Locator. The analysis includes licensed MHTFs that completed the National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey. Proportions of facilities offering 4 specific crisis services were calculated nationally and at the state level. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to assess changes in availability of each crisis service after the launch of 988, controlling for MHTF characteristics. Exposure: Launch of 988 in July 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes were the availability of mobile crisis response services, psychiatric emergency walk-in services, suicide prevention services, or peer support services. Results: Across 15623 MHTFs (184769 observations; 79268 before and 105501 after the 988 launch), the largest changes were observed for availability of peer support services, which increased from 39% (n = 31170) before to 42% (n = 44630) after the 988 launch (PCourt-mandated redistricting and disparities in infant mortality and deaths of despair
Failed retrieving data.Disparities in willingness to call the police in a 2023 survey of US adults : Implications for alternative crisis response programs
AbstractRouhani, S., Machavariani, E., McSorley, A. M., Todd, T. L., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Preventive MedicineVolume
198AbstractObjective: To estimate willingness to call the police in an emergency among US adults to inform policies addressing emergency response and help-seeking. Methods: We utilized cross-sectional data from a web-based 2023 Survey of Racism and Health of (N = 5059) adults in 12 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and D.C. We estimated odds of willingness to call the police as a function of gender, race/ethnicity, and lifetime diagnosis with a behavioral health (substance use or mental health) condition using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression. Results: Most of the sample (80 %) reported willingness to call the police in an emergency. Dds were observed among Black (aOR 0.33; 95 % CI 0.27–0.41), American Indian/Native American (aOR 0.43; 95 % CI 0.27, 0.70), and Multiracial (aOR 0.36; 95 % CI 0.25–0.52) compared to White respondents, and those with behavioral health diagnoses (aOR 0.73; 95 % CI 0.61, 0.88). Women (aOR 1.23; 95 % CI 1.05, 1.43) and older adults (Age 55+: aOR 4.62; 95 % CI 3.70, 5.80) reported higher willingness to call the police. Conclusions: Findings highlight subpopulations for whom the police may not be a viable source of emergency response, particularly individuals who are racially minoritized and/or have behavioral health conditions. This has implications for alternative response programs which rely on 911 dispatch to triage calls and highlights a need for targeted messaging and alternative mechanisms to call for service in communities with police mistrust.Evidence for Public Policies to Prevent Suicide Death in the United States
Failed retrieving data.Preferred Sources For Suicide Prevention And Crisis Services Among Segments Of The US Adult Population
Failed retrieving data.Review of Emergent Financing Models for Mental Health Crisis Systems
AbstractPurtle, J., Mauri, A. I., & Frederick, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Milbank QuarterlyAbstractPolicy Points The sources and adequacy of funding for crisis systems currently varies significantly among the US states and across services in the crisis continuum. Crisis services are funded by a wide range of sources, including 988 telecom fees and other state appropriations, community mental health services block grants and other federal funding sources, Medicaid, and commercial insurance. Priority areas for research related to financing crisis systems include evaluating the effects of 988 telecom fees, value-based payment models, and non-Medicaid payors.State Parental Consent Law and Treatment Use Among Adolescents With Depression
AbstractSchleider, J. L., Smock, A., Ahuvia, I. L., Walubita, T., Rapoport, A. S., Hill, S., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
JAMA PediatricsVolume
179Issue
2Page(s)
209-212Abstract~The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US : status of evidence on implementation
Failed retrieving data.The effect of caregiver opinion leaders to increase demand for evidence-based practices for youth anxiety : A cluster randomized controlled trial
Failed retrieving data.Use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at National, Regional, and State Levels
Failed retrieving data.A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Implementation of Policies That Earmarked Taxes for Behavioral Health
AbstractStadnick, N. A., Geremia, C., Mauri, A. I., Swanson, K., Wynecoop, M. R., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Milbank QuarterlyVolume
102Issue
4Page(s)
913-943AbstractPolicy Points Earmarked tax policies for behavioral health are perceived as having positive impacts related to increasing flexible funding, suggesting benefits to expand this financing approach. Implementation challenges related to these earmarked taxes included tax base volatility that impedes long-term service delivery planning and inequities in the distribution of tax revenue. Recommendations for designing or revising earmarked tax policies include developing clear guidelines and support systems to manage the administrative aspects of earmarked tax programs, cocreating reporting and oversight structures with system and service delivery agents, and selecting revenue streams that are relatively stable across years. Context: Over 200 cities and counties in the United States have implemented policies earmarking tax revenue for behavioral health services. This mixed-methods study was conducted with the aim of characterizing perceptions of the impacts of these earmarked tax policies, strengths and weaknesses of tax policy designs, and factors that influence decision making about how tax revenue is allocated for services. Methods: Study data came from surveys completed by 274 officials involved in behavioral health earmarked tax policy implementation and 37 interviews with officials in a sample of jurisdictions with these taxes—California (n = 16), Washington (n = 12), Colorado (n = 6), and Iowa (n = 3). Interviews primarily explored perceptions of the advantages and drawbacks of the earmarked tax, perceptions of tax policy design, and factors influencing decisions about revenue allocation. Findings: A total of 83% of respondents strongly agreed that it was better to have the tax than not, 73.2% strongly agreed that the tax increased flexibility to address complex behavioral health needs, and 65.1% strongly agreed that the tax increased the number of people served by evidence-based practices. Only 43.3%, however, strongly agreed that it was easy to satisfy tax-reporting requirements. Interviews revealed that the taxes enabled funding for services and implementation supports, such as training in the delivery of evidence-based practices, and supplemented mainstream funding sources (e.g., Medicaid). However, some interviewees also reported challenges related to volatility of funding, inequities in the distribution of tax revenue, and, in some cases, administratively burdensome tax reporting. Decisions about tax revenue allocation were influenced by goals such as reducing behavioral health care inequities, being responsive to community needs, addressing constraints of mainstream funding sources, and, to a lesser degree, supporting services considered to be evidence based. Conclusions: Earmarked taxes are a promising financing strategy to improve access to, and quality of, behavioral health services by supplementing mainstream state and federal financing.A Tale of Two Taxes : Implementation of Earmarked Taxes for Behavioral Health Services in California and Washington State
Failed retrieving data.Acceptability and feasibility of policy implementation strategies for taxes earmarked for behavioral health services
Failed retrieving data.Demographic variation in preferred sources for suicide prevention and mental health crisis services among U.S. adults
Failed retrieving data.Design considerations for developing measures of policy implementation in quantitative evaluations of public health policy
AbstractSmith, N. R., Levy, D. E., Falbe, J., Purtle, J., & Chriqui, J. F. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Frontiers in Health ServicesVolume
4AbstractTypical quantitative evaluations of public policies treat policies as a binary condition, without further attention to how policies are implemented. However, policy implementation plays an important role in how the policy impacts behavioral and health outcomes. The field of policy-focused implementation science is beginning to consider how policy implementation may be conceptualized in quantitative analyses (e.g., as a mediator or moderator), but less work has considered how to measure policy implementation for inclusion in quantitative work. To help address this gap, we discuss four design considerations for researchers interested in developing or identifying measures of policy implementation using three independent NIH-funded research projects studying e-cigarette, food, and mental health policies. Mini case studies of these considerations were developed via group discussions; we used the implementation research logic model to structure our discussions. Design considerations include (1) clearly specifying the implementation logic of the policy under study, (2) developing an interdisciplinary team consisting of policy practitioners and researchers with expertise in quantitative methods, public policy and law, implementation science, and subject matter knowledge, (3) using mixed methods to identify, measure, and analyze relevant policy implementation determinants and processes, and (4) building flexibility into project timelines to manage delays and challenges due to the real-world nature of policy. By applying these considerations in their own work, researchers can better identify or develop measures of policy implementation that fit their needs. The experiences of the three projects highlighted in this paper reinforce the need for high-quality and transferrable measures of policy implementation, an area where collaboration between implementation scientists and policy experts could be particularly fruitful. These measurement practices provide a foundation for the field to build on as attention to incorporating measures of policy implementation into quantitative evaluations grows and will help ensure that researchers are developing a more complete understanding of how policies impact health outcomes.Impact of U.S. Federal Loan Repayment Programs on the Behavioral Health Workforce : Scoping Review
AbstractLast, B. S., Crable, E. L., Khazanov, G. K., Scheinfeld, L. P., McGinty, E. E., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Hospital and Community PsychiatryVolume
75Issue
7Page(s)
652-666AbstractOBJECTIVE: Federal loan repayment programs (LRPs) are one strategy to address the shortage of behavioral health providers. This scoping review aimed to identify and characterize the federal LRPs' impact on the U.S. behavioral health workforce. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with JBI (formerly known as the Joanna Briggs Institute) methodology for scoping reviews. The authors searched the Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, EconLit, PAIS Index, and Embase databases, and gray literature was also reviewed. Two coders screened each article's abstract and full text and extracted study data. Findings were narratively synthesized and conceptually organized. RESULTS: The full-text screening identified 17 articles that met eligibility criteria. Of these, eight were peer-reviewed studies, and all but one evaluated the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) LRP. Findings were conceptually organized into five categories: descriptive studies of NHSC behavioral health needs and the NHSC workforce (k=4); providers' perceptions of, and experiences with, the NHSC (k=2); associations between NHSC funding and the number of NHSC behavioral health providers (k=4); NHSC behavioral health workforce productivity and capacity (k=3); and federal LRP recruitment and retention (k=4). CONCLUSIONS: The literature on federal LRPs and their impact on the behavioral health workforce is relatively limited. Although federal LRPs are an important and effective tool to address the behavioral health workforce shortage, additional federal policy strategies are needed to attract and retain behavioral health providers and to diversify the behavioral health workforce.Maui Wildfire and 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call Volume and Capacity
AbstractRivera-González, A. C., Purtle, J., Kaholokula, J. K., Stimpson, J. P., & Ortega, A. N. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
JAMA network openVolume
7Issue
11Page(s)
e2446523Abstract~Measuring variation in infant mortality and deaths of despair by US congressional district in Pennsylvania : a methodological case study
Failed retrieving data.Methods and measures to evaluate the impact of participatory model building on public policymakers : a scoping review protocol
Failed retrieving data.Multi-level alignment processes in the sustainment of a youth substance use treatment model following a federal implementation initiative : A mixed method study
Failed retrieving data.Operational and organizational variation in determinants of policy implementation success : the case of policies that earmark taxes for behavioral health services
Failed retrieving data.Policy dissemination and implementation research
AbstractPurtle, J., Crable, E. L., Cruden, G., Lee, M., Lengnick-Hall, R., Silver, D. R., & Raghavan, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Page(s)
511-533Abstract~Proportion of US Counties and Population Served by Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
AbstractMauri, A. I., Xiang, N., Adams, D. R., & Purtle, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
JAMA Health ForumVolume
5Issue
10Abstract~