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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health

Pain in the Nation: Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Epidemics - Special Feature: COVID-19 and Trauma
Explores the effect the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent trauma it has had on rates of suicide and alcohol- and drug-induced deaths across the nation. Breaks down data by a number of indicators, such as by age and rural versus urban location.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Medicare-Paid Naloxone: Trends in Non-Metropolitan and Metropolitan Areas Metropolitan Areas
Policy brief examining Medicare-paid naloxone dispensing, comparing rates in non-metro and metro areas nationwide. Provides year-by-year data by payer type for 2013-2018, including insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D. Compares numbers of Medicare-paid naloxone prescriptions year-to-year for retail pharmacies, comparing rate changes for rural and metro areas.
Author(s): Chris Delcher, Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Jeffery C. Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Telemedicine Increases Access to Buprenorphine Initiation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Discusses the expanded access to buprenorphine prescription through telemedicine during COVID-19, comparing the experiences of two harm reduction primary care programs in a rural and urban region of New York. Discusses reduced barriers to treatment, particularly delays due to in-person evaluation requirements before to the pandemic, and innovations to opioid use disorder treatment made possible through telehealth.
Author(s): Linda Wang, Jeffrey Weiss, Elizabeth Bogel Ryan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 124, 108272
Date: 05/2021
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Rural Barriers to Early Lung Cancer Detection: Exploring Access to Lung Cancer Screening Programs in New Hampshire and Vermont
Evaluates how geographic access to lung cancer screening facilities is related to population density, adult smoker distribution, and education level in New Hampshire and Vermont. Utilizes 2013-2017 County Health Rankings data. Discusses the significance of rural-urban access disparities in lung cancer screening, and describes the value of identifying access barriers.
Author(s): Rian M. Hasson, Kayla A. Fay, Joseph D. Phillips, Timothy M. Millington, David J. Finley
Citation: American Journal of Surgery, 221(4), 725-730
Date: 04/2021
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Law and Policy Pathways to Addressing Rising Youth Suicide Rates
Provides information on how to prevent death by suicide in different youth populations, including rural youth. Includes evidence-based suicide prevention strategies and ways to engage communities in prevention efforts.
Author(s): April Shaw
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Network for Public Health Law
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Integrating Cultural Relevance into a Behavioral mHealth Intervention for Native American Youth
An analysis of a behavioral mHealth intervention for Native American communities, ARORA (Amplifying Resilience Over Restricted Internet Access), co-developed with Native American youth, a clinical psychologist, and a community advisory board. Discusses the key themes and critical components of the intervention as identified by members of the Native American community, and offers recommendations to assist other researchers in their development of a cross-cultural design.
Author(s): Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Ann Futterman Collier, Shelby Hagemann, et al.
Citation: Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery on Human-Computer Interaction, 5(CSCW1), 165.
Date: 04/2021
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Caring for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Adolescents
Examines the influence of historical trauma and health inequities on the socioeconomic and health status of AI/AN youth. Discusses the disproportionate mental and cardiovascular health needs, and disease processes of AI/AN youth. Identifies strategies for culturally sensitive care to lessen morbidity, and makes policy recommendations supporting institutional and system changes for improving health outcomes.
Author(s): Shaquita Bell, Jason F. Deen, Molly Fuentes, et al.
Citation: Pediatrics, 147(4)
Date: 04/2021
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April 2021 MACPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) April 2021 meeting. Covers the review of draft chapters and recommendations regarding high-cost specialty drugs, improving integration through dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs), access to mental health services for adults, access to behavioral health services for children and adolescents, electronic health records as a tool for behavioral health services integration, and the non-emergency medical transportation benefit. Also details lessons from states on rebalancing, ensuring quality in Medicaid and CHIP, and what states are learning from the expanded use of telehealth.
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Case Study: Avera Behavioral Health
Profiles Avera Behavioral Health, which partners with primary care providers, families, and other healthcare providers via a telepsychiatry network to serve rural communities nationwide. Discusses the development of the Avera Behavioral Health network, goals of the program, innovative approaches, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the network. Highlights key lessons for successful community networks.
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Reducing Rural Veteran Suicides: Navigating Geospatial and Community Contexts for Scaling up a National Veterans Affairs Program
Details the development of planning maps to facilitate the recruitment of rural veterans into a community-based suicide prevention program. Aims to identify the percentages of rural veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration, of veterans in the total population, and of suicide mortality for each county mapped.
Author(s): Carlee J. Kreisel, Lauren K. Wilson, Alexandra L. Schneider, et al.
Citation: Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 51(2), 344-351
Date: 04/2021
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