Gina Eckart, MS, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor with 30 years of experience in the publicly funded behavioral health field. Prior to joining HMA, Ms. Eckart served as the director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction with responsibility for policy and funding of the public mental health and addiction system of care across the state, including six state psychiatric hospitals and over 2,200 employees. She worked closely with the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to improve efficiency and oversight of the Medicaid Rehabilitation Option program, development of a 1915i application to serve persons with serious mental illness, and a successful Community Alternatives to Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities demonstration. In addition, Gina oversaw the successful proposal and implementation of Indiana’s Access to Recovery (IATR) Grant program; collaborated with stakeholders to establish professional licensure for the SUD workforce in Indiana; partnered with the legislature to increase clinical programming and quality assurance within opioid treatment programs; and transitioned funding for long-term state SUD hospital beds to community-based SUD provider programs. 

Prior to joining the state of Indiana, Ms. Eckart served in various clinical and leadership roles at Midtown Community Mental Health Center where she began her career providing crisis services within a county health system. She managed a 24-hour ambulatory crisis unit which included an outpatient detox program. Additional responsibilities included development and management of a centralized intake process and creation of an information and scheduling line for the community mental health center. She was also responsible for advancement of center-wide quality assurance and utilization management processes. 

For the past decade Ms. Eckart has provided consultation to a diverse client portfolio, including state and county behavioral health and Medicaid authorities, specialty behavioral health and primary care providers, managed care organizations, foundations, and various behavioral health stakeholder associations.  This includes serving as a state coach for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Accelerator Program. In addition, Ms. Eckart served as an adjunct professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work and on the board of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. She participated as a trainer for law enforcement on mental health and addiction at both the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and local Crisis Intervention Team trainings. In addition to serving on multiple local advisory boards and panels, she previously served on the standards, training, and practices subcommittee for Lifeline, the national suicide hotline. 

Ms. Eckart earned her master’s of science degree in counseling and counselor education and her bachelor’s of science degree in psychology from Indiana University.