This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health

The Importance of Video Visits in the Time of COVID-19
Highlights the importance of video-to-home telemedicine (VTH) for maintaining mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the usefulness of VTH in expanding access to mental healthcare broadly, as well as some of the infrastructure-based limitations that currently exist.
Author(s): Jan A. Lindsay, Julianna B. Hogan, Anthony H. Ecker, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 242-245
Date: 01/2021
view details
Suicide in the Time of COVID-19: A Perfect Storm
Examines the risk of suicide in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Looks at suicide rates in Kentucky and nationally and discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially increase those rates.
Author(s): Sabrina Brown, Donna L. Schuman
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 211-214
Date: 01/2021
view details
A Pandemic of Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Burden of "Social Distancing" in Rural Communities During an Era of Heightened Suicide Risk
Discusses the potentially heightened risk of suicide in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines how decreased access to mental healthcare, economic stress, stigma, and social isolation could increase the risk of suicide in rural areas.
Author(s): Natalie B. Riblet, Susan P. Stevens, Bradley V. Watts, Brian Shiner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 207-210
Date: 01/2021
view details
Preventing Suicide in Rural Communities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Explores the potentially increased risk of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of providing mental healthcare. Highlights some of the factors related to COVID-19 that could increase the risk, such as self isolation, access to firearms, and decreased access to healthcare.
Author(s): Lindsey L. Monteith, Ryan Holliday, Talia L. Brown, Lisa A. Brenner, Nathaniel V. Mohatt
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 179-184
Date: 01/2021
view details
COVID-19 During the Opioid Epidemic – Exacerbation of Stigma and Vulnerabilities
Explores how the lack of healthcare infrastructure in rural areas and the COVID-19 pandemic create particular challenges for people who use drugs (PWUDs). Discusses the stigma of seeking care during a pandemic and the difficulty of accessing living resources, among other issues affecting PWUDs in rural areas.
Author(s): Wiley D. Jenkins, Rebecca Bolinski, John Bresett, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 172-174
Date: 01/2021
view details
A Primary Care Response to COVID‐19 for Patients with an Opioid Use Disorder
Discusses the challenges of treating patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights decisions made by primary care physicians regarding harm reduction related to COVID-19 that may have detrimental effects for OUD patient.
Author(s): Courtenay Gilmore Wilson, Melinda Ramage, E. Blake Fagan
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 169-171
Date: 01/2021
view details
Flattening the Curve by Getting Ahead of It: How the VA Healthcare System Is Leveraging Telehealth to Provide Continued Access to Care for Rural Veterans
Describes the Veterans Health Administration's efforts to use telehealth to provide behavioral health services to rural veterans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Ursula S. Myers, Anna Birks, Anouk L. Grubaugh, R. Neal Axon
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 194-196
Date: 01/2021
view details
Using Technology-Based Therapeutic Tools in Behavioral Health Services
Report discusses the use of telehealth to provide behavioral health services. Explores the benefits of telehealth as a bridge to accessing behavioral healthcare and presents implementation guidance, such as state and licensing regulations and reimbursement considerations.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Settings: Effectiveness and Potential Strategies
Evaluates the effectiveness of a BEAT Cancer, a physical activity intervention for female cancer survivors, utilizing data from 16 program participants in a rural, community setting. Includes data on outcomes related to physical activity, mental health, quality of life, and barriers to physical activity of 16 participants. Includes program implementation and design feedback from participants.
Author(s): Whitney J. Smith, Michelle Y. Martin, Maria Pisu, et al.
Citation: Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 6(4), e000180
Date: 2021
view details
National Health Service Corps Report to Congress for the Year 2020
Details program accomplishments of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), provides updates on Health Professional Shortage Area designations, explains recruitment efforts for NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, provides estimates on number of patients seen by NHSC clinicians, and details short- and long-term retention rates. Features state-by-state data with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details