John Gale

Education: University of Southern Maine, BS Business Administration, 1979; University of Southern Maine, MS Health Policy, 2003

Areas of Expertise: Access to and delivery of mental health services, particularly in rural areas; integration of mental health and primary care services; rural health; access and financing issues; primary care delivery systems; limited service hospital models; physician management and reimbursement issues.

Research Interests: Mr. Gale has six years experience in rural health and rural mental health research and sixteen years senior management experience in primary care, mental health and substance abuse practices. He has published a number of articles, reports, and book chapters in the areas of rural mental health, safety net, primary care, and hospital issues. His work has included: studies of the national Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, the informal safety net in rural communities, and the use of state health policy research to inform federal and state policy; a survey of Rural Health Clinics; evaluations of the state Rural Hospital Flexibility Programs in Maine and New Hampshire; an assessment of the RWJ Southern Rural Access Program; and the management of the Mental Health Technical Assistance Program for the Mental Health Funding Collaborative in Maine. Mr. Gale serves on the Board of the National Association for Rural Mental Health and was a 2002 Fellow in the Secretarys Primary Care Policy Fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.