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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health

Access to Autism Spectrum Disorder Services for Rural Appalachian Citizens
Summarizes the challenges of accessibility and affordability faced by residents of rural southwest Virginia as they seek services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Highlights the effects of extreme poverty and the need for cultural sensitivity among service providers. Offers suggestions for policymakers and features demographic statistics on caregivers and providers.
Author(s): Angela Scarpa, Laura S. Jensen, Denis Gracanin, Sharon L. Ramey, Angela V. Dahiya
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 2(1), 25-40
Date: 2020
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Opportunities to Improve Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Services: Integrating Responses to a Dual Epidemic
Examines opioid use and drug-related infectious diseases. Identifies the barriers to integration of opioid use disorder (OUD) and infectious disease services, including barriers faced in rural areas such as workforce shortages. Offers strategies to overcome those barriers. Offers case studies of programs that have successfully integrated services, including programs serving rural areas. Includes policy recommendations.
Additional links: Read Online, Report Highlights
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Telehealth Decreases Rural Emergency Department Wait Times for Behavioral Health Patients in a Group of Critical Access Hospitals
Explores impacts of telehealth on behavioral health patients in rural emergency departments (EDs) at 4 Midwestern Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Compares wait time and length of stay (LOS) for 153 patients from 2005-2013 before telehealth implementation and 287 patents from 2015-2017 after telehealth implementation. Provides data on patient demographics, wait time, LOS, behavioral health diagnosis, and total costs of ED visit.
Author(s): Roseanne Moody Fairchild, Shiaw-Fen Ferng-Kuo, Stephanie Laws, Hicham Rahmouni, Daniel Hardesty
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 25(12), 1154-1164
Date: 12/2019
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Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center Task Force Report
Reports on the work of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center Task Force in Illinois that collected data, examined strategies, and received input from stakeholders from November 2018 to December 2019 in response to the 2018 declaration of an Illinois Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Emergency. The report covers workforce shortage data, evidence-based behavioral health interventions, and taskforce recommendations. Appendix C includes county-level data on behavioral workforce licensures as of 2019. Includes rural references throughout.
Author(s): Sharon Post
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Illinois General Assembly
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Engagement With Project ECHO to Increase Medication-Assisted Treatment in Rural Primary Care
Examines a study on the barriers and facilitators to implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder between Project ECHO and rural primary care providers in New Mexico. Bases conclusions on post-ECHO intervention interviews with rural primary care providers and discusses external factors that could factor into the implementation of MAT.
Author(s): Julie Salvador, Snehal Bhatt, Rebecca Fowler, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 70(12), 1157-1160
Date: 12/2019
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The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program: A Comprehensive Report
Provides an overview of the first three years of the Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant Program for rural Georgia hospitals. Describes grant-funded projects and evaluates the sustainability of these projects after funding ceased. Includes a financial analysis of participating hospitals before and after receiving grant funds.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Georgia Department of Community Health, Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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Migration to the US among Rural Puerto Ricans Who Inject Drugs: Influential Factors, Sources of Support, and Challenges for Harm Reduction Interventions
Details a study of the migration patterns of rural people who inject drugs (PWID) from Puerto Rico to the United States. Breaks down data by age, sex, and HIV and HCV status among other measures.
Author(s): R. Abadie, P. Habecker, C. Gelpi-Acosta, K. Dombrowski
Citation: BMC Public Health, 19, 1710
Date: 12/2019
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A Systematic Review of Rural-specific Barriers to Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the United States
Analyzes a number of studies looking at medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder in rural areas. Explores barriers to accessing MAT in rural areas and makes rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Jamey J. Lister, Addie Weaver, Jennifer D. Ellis, Joseph A. Himle, David M. Ledgerwood
Citation: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Date: 12/2019
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Newborns with Withdrawal Symptoms Caused by Maternal Exposure to Select Substances
Reports on the use of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnosis codes describing withdrawal symptoms of newborns impacted by maternal exposure to certain substances, and identifies the number of newborns impacted by exposure using data from Oklahoma's Medicaid and birth certificate records. Lists clinical symptoms and conditions present among affected newborns, and offers data on the demographic distribution by county, select maternal characteristics, and birth outcomes of newborns with withdrawal symptoms.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State Department of Health
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The Strong African American Families Program Improves Lives of Rural African American Youth
Video with transcript, describing a program developed by the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia, designed to foster wellbeing and improve outcomes for rural African American young people ages 10-14. Describes challenges they face, and explores ways in which the program strengthens parenting, promotes youth protective factors, and decreases the likelihood that participants will engage in high-risk behaviors, including substance abuse.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Institute on Drug Abuse
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