Under the new wage model, a fully licensed Indiana therapist (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT) can earn between $75,000 to $90,000 annually each week. 4C Health is approaching two years as a four-day work week employer and is showing no signs of slowing. A four-day/32-hour work week employer pays staff 100 percent of a 40-hour wage for 32 hours of work per week.

“This is about getting earnings for a professional license where it needs to be and getting there within a 32-hour work week model, said Carrie Cadwell, CEO of 4C Health. “It is the intersection of valuing licensed professional care and supporting well-being simultaneously. This is not just to the benefit of our 4C Health workforce but spurs others to consider making the same move. It is trail-blazing for the local workforce, workforce development for the state, and licensed clinical therapist industry.”r

According to Jason Cadwell, chief financial officer/chief administrative officer of 4C Health, “Like all healthcare nonprofits, we are facing flat, outdated and unsustainable payor reimbursements, in addition to delays in license obtainment, while scrambling to outmaneuver shortages of licensed healthcare providers in the state, especially in rural markets. We knew we had to stand out, between 4DWW coupled with a “lean” and minimalistic business model, and clinic/payor practice models. We took our waste savings and added it back to our bottom line which in turn meant staff wage and benefit investment while keeping it as budget neutral as possible.”

Letecia Timmel, LCSW, senior outpatient therapist added, “At 4C Health, I have always felt valued as an employee. This most recent change in therapist wages is further validation of the knowledge, education, and experience that I have worked hard to bring to the table for those I serve. It is often joked about that community mental health is not where you go to make money, and while that may still ring true, 4C Health is breaking through some of those barriers that have previously existed and ensuring that we are compensated for the work we do. The wage increase for licensed individuals in combination with a four-day work week is an absolute game changer in the goal to make sure we are taking care of those who are taking care of others.”

Nicole Hiatt-Drang, chief clinical officer expanded on that. “The implications of this change are not only exciting for licensed therapists who will be joining our agency, but it also reinforces the appreciation and acknowledgment of our licensed therapists (ranging in tenure from two years to 32 years) from a clinical standpoint. We understand that when clinicians feel valued and professional growth is supported, it results in reduced burnout and turnover rates, ultimately enhancing the continuity of care, advancing clinical skills, and improving outcomes. As a result, this change will have a profound impact not only on licensed therapists but also on the individuals whom we serve.”

This move by 4C Health is a strong example of how clinical, quality, operations and fiscal components of care and the organization can come together without undue hardship and weave a golden thread. 4C Health plans to continue this and conduct center-wide wage assessments of both direct and support positions over this next fiscal year. To date, new wage scales have been for registered nurses, medical assistants, billing support staff, and now fully licensed therapists.

Learn more about 4C Health at www.4CHealthIN.org

About 4C Health

4C Health began as Four County Comprehensive Mental Health Center in 1975. We have served as the designated Community Mental Health Center for Cass, Miami, Fulton, and Pulaski counties since that time. In the early 1980s, inpatient psychiatric services were added to the continuum of behavioral health services the center offered. Starting in 2015, we began a growth journey to meet needs of additional surrounding rural communities. This growth included providing services to Howard, Tipton, White, Carroll, Clinton, Marshall, Wabash, Grant counties and beyond. This geographic growth along with expansion in our behavioral health and crisis care service offerings, and addition of integrated primary care efforts led to a rebranding effort in 2022 to 4C Health. Our new name reflects appreciation for our history that is rooted in “4” North Central Indiana counties, aligns with our focus on whole person health, and exemplifies our values, our “4Cs”. Care that is Compassionate, Collaborative, and Competent.