From Crisis to Collaboration: Missouri’s ASAM Transformation

In this episode, Brent hosts Natalie Cook and Ryan Essex to trace their careers and the statewide effort to reform Missouri’s substance use disorder system. They discuss the origins and challenges of CCBHC, the push for ASAM-based care, and how partnerships between providers and the Department of Mental Health enabled large-scale change.

The conversation covers obstacles such as outdated billing systems, Medicaid expansion, COVID-19 impacts, and grant pressures, and highlights the shift toward individualized, medically informed treatment that centers on patients and supports providers.