Jonathan H. Cantor

Policy Researcher

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in public administration, New York University; M.S. in policy analysis, Cornell University; B.S. in policy analysis, Cornell University

One Page Bio

Overview

Jonathan Cantor is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His key research interests are in health policies related to obesity, substance use disorder, mental health, pharmaceutical use, and other health behaviors. He uses theoretical frameworks and research methods from health economics, policy analysis, and public health. He is currently leading a team of researchers in developing and using the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository. It is the first national longitudinal database of licensed substance abuse treatment facilities between the year 1975 and the present and for mental health treatment facilities for the years 2008, 2012, and 2015-present. The substance use disorder data are currently being used to examine the availability of substance use disorder treatment for older adults via a National Institute of Aging grant. Both the mental health and substance use disorder database have been used to examine the availability of specialty behavioral health treatment surrounding army bases and separately for veterans. Cantor has also examined changes in health care utilization, access to care, and health outcomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has published articles in journals including JAMA Network Open, JAMA Health Forum, JAMA Psychiatry, Health Affairs, Journal of Health Economics, New England Journal of Medicine, and American Journal of Public Health. He received his Ph.D. from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Substance Use and Access to Care among Older Adults
The Impact of Access to Substance Abuse Treatment on Disability
Access to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment Among the Military and Their Families
Urban Revitalization and Long-Term Effects on Diet, Economic, and Health Outcomes
Medicare Ambulance Services Special Analysis

Commentary

Food Insecurity

Food Access: Challenges and Solutions Brought on by COVID-19
For the 14.3 million American households already experiencing food insecurity before the pandemic, shutdowns and restrictions have created new layers of hardship. Tremendous efforts are already underway to help. But the weeks to come will surely demand more creative solutions from the public and private sectors.
Mar 31, 2020
The RAND Blog

Publications

Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Aug 1, 2023
Testimony
Geographic Availability of Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Veterans: The Need for Data-Driven Solutions
Testimony presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on June 14, 2023.
Jun 14, 2023
Journal Article
Trends in Methadone Dispensing for Opioid Use Disorder After Medicare Payment Policy Changes
A new Medicare policy may have improved access to methadone and buprenorphine treatment for Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosed opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic, but further research is needed to determine its impact.
Jun 2, 2023
Journal Article
Trends in Geographic Proximity to Substance Use Disorder Treatment
This study aims to assess trends in the number and characteristics of substance use disorder treatment (SUDT) facilities within the county of residence of adults aged 50+ over time.
Apr 18, 2023
Journal Article
Mental Health Emergency Hotlines in the United States: A Scoping Review (2012–2021)
This scoping review describes the current literature on mental health emergency hotlines in the United States, and also identifies gaps in the literature and presents recommendations.
Oct 24, 2022
Journal Article
Comparing Two Federal Financing Strategies on Penetration and Sustainment of the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Substance Use Disorders: Protocol for a Mixed-Method Study
The project will advance understanding of effective financing strategies to support the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices for the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders.
Oct 13, 2022
Report
Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorder Bed Capacity, Need, and Shortage Estimates in California: Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties
In California, Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties sought to understand the gap between capacity and need for behavioral health beds. This report estimates bed shortages by triangulating estimates through multiple modeling methodologies.
Aug 26, 2022
Journal Article
US Health Care Workforce Changes During the First and Second Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health care employment levels declined from 22.2 million in 2019 to 21.1 million, in 2020 but rebounded to 21.8 million in second quarter of 2021.
Jun 22, 2022
Report
Availability and Accessibility of Mental Health Services in New York City
To advance policy strategy for addressing gaps in the mental health services system, RAND researchers investigate the availability and accessibility of mental health services in New York City.
Jun 22, 2022
Draft
Preparedness for 988 Throughout the United States: The New Mental Health Emergency Hotline
A mixed methods study on preparedness for the launch of the new three-digit mental health emergency hotline (988) indicates that many agencies are not prepared to meet an increased need, and officials will need to ramp up quickly.
Jun 21, 2022
Tool
Mental Health Emergency Hotlines in the United States: An Evidence Inventory (2012–2021)
This tool provides summary information to policymakers and agency administrators regarding studies on mental health emergency hotlines in the United States.
Jun 2, 2022
Report
Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorder Bed Capacity, Need, and Shortage Estimates in Sacramento County, California
Using an array of data sets and findings from the literature, as well as a survey of treatment facilities, the authors estimated psychiatric and SUD treatment bed capacity and need in Sacramento County for adults and children/adolescents.
May 17, 2022
Report
Improving Care for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Across the Lifespan
This report presents findings from a study designed to identify the long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injury for veterans, the future needs of this population, effective treatments, and the availability of community-based resources.
Apr 28, 2022
Research Brief
Strategies to Improve Long-Term Outcomes for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
This brief describes findings from a study on the long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injury for veterans, the future needs of this population, effective treatments, and the availability of community-based resources.
Apr 28, 2022
Journal Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Policy Response on Health Care Utilization: Evidence from County-Level Medical Claims and Cellphone Data
Shelter-in-place policies during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with reductions in the use of preventive care, elective care, and the number of weekly visits to physician offices, hospitals and other health care-related industries.
Mar 31, 2022
Journal Article
Ongoing Disparities in Digital and In-Person Access to Child Psychiatric Services in the United States
Although telehealth holds promise for promoting access to child and adolescent psychiatric services, large disparities in overall access to services persists in rural and low-income communities.
Mar 24, 2022
Journal Article
Does Mens Rea Matter?
Does mens rea matter to the criminal legal system? Our study addresses this question by performing the first-ever empirical analysis of a culpable mental state's impact on administration of a criminal statute.
Mar 23, 2022
Report
Adult Psychiatric Bed Capacity, Need, and Shortage Estimates in California—2021
California, much like many parts of the United States, is confronting a shortage of psychiatric beds. This report presents an evaluation of California's adult psychiatric bed need for 2021 and the coming years.
Jan 18, 2022
Journal Article
Patterns in Geographic Distribution of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in the US and Accepted Forms of Payment From 2010 to 2021
Researchers analyzed data to determine what proportion of the national population had local geographic availability to a licensed SUD treatment facility that accepted Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, or cash.
2022
Journal Article
What Is Associated with Changes in Food Security Among Low-Income Residents of a Former Food Desert?
We compared study participants in a former food desert neighborhood whose food security improved to those whose food security did not improve across survey waves. Distance to major food shopping store was positively associated with food security.
2022
Journal Article
Association Between COVID-19 Relief Funds and Hospital Characteristics in the US
CARES Act funds may have disproportionately gone to hospitals that were in a stronger financial situation prior to the pandemic compared to those that were not.
Nov 2, 2021
Journal Article
Use of Buprenorphine for Those with Employer-Sponsored Insurance During the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study examined changes in the use of buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder in 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic using pharmaceutical claims.
Oct 22, 2021
Journal Article
Population-Based Estimates of Geographic Accessibility of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder by Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities from 2014 to 2020
This cross-sectional study of substance use disorder treatment facilities examined the national share of facilities that offer medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and population-based measures of geographic accessibility of facilities offering MOUD.
Oct 22, 2021
Journal Article
Trends in Visits to Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in 2020
This study examined weekly changes in the number of substance use disorder treatment facility visits in 2020 compared to 2019, and explored variation in change in weekly visits by COVID-19 incidence and historical fatal drug overdose rate.
Oct 22, 2021
Journal Article
SNAP Participants and High Levels of Food Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We examined how people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly Black participants, and participants residing in food deserts.
Apr 2, 2021
Journal Article
Who Is (and Isn't) Receiving Telemedicine Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 has affected telehealth utilization disproportionately. The increase in telemedicine use was greatest among patients in counties with low poverty levels, among patients in metropolitan areas, and among adults compared with children.
Mar 18, 2021
Journal Article
Food Insecurity in a Low-Income, Predominantly African American Cohort Following the COVID-19 Pandemic
Longitudinal data highlight profound inequities that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Existing policies appear inadequate to address the widening gap.
Mar 11, 2021
Draft
The Doctor Will See You: Online Physician Transformations During COVID-19
Examines physicians use of telemedicine during COVID-19 to quantify physician-level substitution between in-person interactions with patients and virtual interactions.
Feb 16, 2021
Journal Article
Vaccinations Against COVID-19 May Have Averted Up To 140,000 Deaths In The United States
As of May 9, 2021, reductions in COVID-19 deaths associated with vaccines had translated to value of statistical life benefit ranging between $625 billion and $1.4 trillion.
2021
Journal Article
Telehealth Capability Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in Counties With High Versus Low COVID-19 Social Distancing
This study aimed to quantify the availability of telehealth services at substance use treatment facilities in the U.S. at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and determine whether telehealth is available at facilities in counties with the greatest amount of social distancing. Relatively few substance use treatment facilities offered telehealth services at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and public health officials should do more to support facilities in offering telehealth services.
Nov 3, 2020
Journal Article
Adoption of Telemedicine Services by Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities in the U.S.
Telemedicine for treating Substance use disorder (SUD) use is growing steadily among treatment facilities; however, uptake is uneven and relatively low. As such, telemedicine may be an under-utilized tool to expand access to care for patients with SUD.
Oct 1, 2020
Journal Article
SNAP Participants Improved Food Security And Diet After A Full-Service Supermarket Opened In An Urban Food Desert
This study explored two federal programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The results suggest that HFFI amplifies SNAP participation on improving food security and diet for low-income Americans.
Sep 24, 2020
Research Brief
Guidance for Organizations That Support the Behavioral Health of Post-9/11 Veterans
This brief highlights important treatment, provider, and system factors that organizations that support the behavioral health needs of veterans with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders should consider.
Jul 22, 2020
Report
Improving Substance Use Care: Addressing Barriers to Expanding Integrated Treatment Options for Post-9/11 Veterans
This report provides guidance and recommendations to support the delivery of quality care for veterans with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders.
Jul 22, 2020
Research Brief
Strategies to Improve Treatment for Post-9/11 Veterans with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders
This brief describes how treatment facilities could improve their care of veterans with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and address barriers to care for such veterans.
Jul 22, 2020
Infographic
State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy
This infographic illustrates the evolution from 2000 to 2015 of state policy environments related to substance use in pregnancy. Punitive or potentially punitive policies were more commonly enacted than were policies supporting treatment.
Feb 14, 2020
Journal Article
Changes in Health Services Use Among Commercially Insured US Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study found that during the initial phase of the COVID-19 epidemic in March and April of 2020, patients significantly reduced use of preventive and elective care and increased use of telemedicine but not enough to offset reductions in in-person care.
2020
Journal Article
Growth and Distribution of Child Psychiatrists in the United States: 2007–2016
Despite the increased ratio of child psychiatrists per children over the past decade, a shortage remains, particularly in places with lower levels of income and education.
Dec 1, 2019
Journal Article
Association of Punitive and Reporting State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy With Rates of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
State policies that impose punitive action against pregnant women who use illicit substances are associated with higher rates of infants being born with opioid withdrawal.
Nov 15, 2019
Journal Article
Business Cycles and Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment
The relationship between business cycles and health is theoretically complex. In a seminal paper, Ruhm (2000) outlined a series of economic mechanisms through which business cycles may influence health.
Aug 6, 2019
Journal Article
Systematic Review: United States Workforce for Autism-Related Child Healthcare Services
The 33 studies reviewed identify multiple workforce-related challenges for families seeking treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder-including lack of primary care providers to serve these children, lack of specialty providers, and sociodemographic and geographic disparities in access to ASD services.
Jun 10, 2019