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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health workforce

New Hampshire: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in New Hampshire, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Maine: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in Maine, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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The Northern Border Region: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access for Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, and for the region overall. Identifies strengths and assets of the Northern Border region states, as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, mortality rates and causes, Health Professional Shortage Areas, telehealth policies, and telehealth grants awarded from 2018-2021. Includes maps showing locations of substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Delaware Mental HPSA Designations
State map showing Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers in Delaware.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Delaware Health Statistics Center
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2021 Indiana's Physician Workforce: Data Report
Provides information on the 2021 physician workforce supply in Indiana, including data on primary care physicians and psychiatrists. Includes employment status and practice location, demographic and practice characteristics, specialties and services provided, and county-level location of physicians.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action
Bipartisan report summarizing findings from three Senate Finance Committee hearings and a request for information regarding challenges in the mental healthcare system. Describes the prevalence of behavioral health conditions in the United States, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and spending on behavioral health. Outlines key challenges across five cross-cutting areas: the behavioral health workforce; children, adolescents, and young adults; access to care, integration, and care coordination; mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity; and telehealth. Includes information on challenges facing rural and underserved communities.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Mental Health Care: Access Challenges for Covered Consumers and Relevant Federal Efforts
Explores the experiences of consumers with health insurance coverage in accessing timely and appropriate mental healthcare. Describes challenges accessing mental health services, including workforce shortages and broadband availability in rural areas. Identifies ongoing and planned federal efforts to address these challenges.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Veterans Health Care: Efforts to Hire Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
Describes efforts taken by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to promote the hiring of licensed professional mental health counselors (LPMHC) and marriage and family therapists (MFT) at Department of Veterans Affairs' facilities. Examines the extent to which VA medical facilities are employing LPMHCs and MFTs and how their recent employment compares with other mental health professions. Discusses considerations regarding the availability of LPMHCs and MFTs in rural communities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Mental Health in Rural Areas
Policy position paper focused on mental health in rural areas. Discusses barriers and policy recommendations regarding the availability, access, and acceptability of mental health care in rural communities.
Author(s): Brenda Mack, Heather Whetsell, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress
Offers strategies to support development and integration of behavioral health services across healthcare and community-based organizations, including leveraging payment systems to support coordinated care for farm families and aligning federal grant programs to address mental health and substance use disorders. Features recommendations including integrating primary and behavioral care for initial treatment of mental health and substance abuse concerns, expanding the workforce to improve rural behavioral health services capacity, increasing telehealth services, and expanding private and public insurance coverage.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Alva O. Ferdinand, Alana Knudson, et al.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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