Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health
Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Mental Health HPSA Table
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Additional links: Mental Health HPSA Table
Date: 10/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Tennessee Suicide Prevention 2026 Annual Report
Summarizes suicide surveillance and programmatic data collected by the Tennessee Department of Health. Identifies strategies and best practices for the prevention of deaths by suicide. Features statistics including rates of suicide among residents of rural and urban Tennessee counties in 2024.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Summarizes suicide surveillance and programmatic data collected by the Tennessee Department of Health. Identifies strategies and best practices for the prevention of deaths by suicide. Features statistics including rates of suicide among residents of rural and urban Tennessee counties in 2024.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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"It's Nice to Know That You're Not Alone": Lessons from Rural Midwest Women Veterans' Experiences with a Chronic Pain Management Group
Explores the experiences of rural women veterans who participated in a virtual eight-week telehealth behavioral pilot program aimed at addressing chronic pain. Breaks down participant characteristics, such as age, education, and source of pain, among other measures, and highlights participant feedback.
Author(s): Nicole L. Johnson, Kenda Stewart Steffensmeier, DorisAnn McGinnis, et al.
Citation: Psychological Services, 23(4), 938-945
Date: 09/2026
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Explores the experiences of rural women veterans who participated in a virtual eight-week telehealth behavioral pilot program aimed at addressing chronic pain. Breaks down participant characteristics, such as age, education, and source of pain, among other measures, and highlights participant feedback.
Author(s): Nicole L. Johnson, Kenda Stewart Steffensmeier, DorisAnn McGinnis, et al.
Citation: Psychological Services, 23(4), 938-945
Date: 09/2026
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Wisconsin State Opioid Response 4 Year Two: Statewide Annual Report
Provides information on the State Opioid Response 4 (SOR-4) grant awarded in 2024 and focused on expanding access to treatment and recovery services for opioid and stimulant use disorder in Wisconsin, supporting training of peer support services, increasing the number of providers offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and raising awareness related to OUD. Utilizes data from clients who completed the State Opioid Response 4 (SOR-4) GPRA Client Outcome Measures tool from 2025 to 2026 and reports on treatment needs, recovery, telehealth, and recovery housing. Compares client experiences in rural versus urban counties.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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Provides information on the State Opioid Response 4 (SOR-4) grant awarded in 2024 and focused on expanding access to treatment and recovery services for opioid and stimulant use disorder in Wisconsin, supporting training of peer support services, increasing the number of providers offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and raising awareness related to OUD. Utilizes data from clients who completed the State Opioid Response 4 (SOR-4) GPRA Client Outcome Measures tool from 2025 to 2026 and reports on treatment needs, recovery, telehealth, and recovery housing. Compares client experiences in rural versus urban counties.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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Cannabis Assessment in Oncology Patients—Evaluation Survey: Understanding Usage Patterns in a Rural Radiation Cohort in Kentucky
Explores the use and perceptions of unprescribed medicinal cannabis among 237 adults receiving radiation therapy in Kentucky between July 2023 and February 2024. Includes comparisons by rural or urban dwelling and treatment location.
Author(s): Evans Amoah, Waleed F. Mourad, Marcus E. Randall, et al.
Citation: The Oncologist, 31(11), oyag370
Date: 09/2026
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Explores the use and perceptions of unprescribed medicinal cannabis among 237 adults receiving radiation therapy in Kentucky between July 2023 and February 2024. Includes comparisons by rural or urban dwelling and treatment location.
Author(s): Evans Amoah, Waleed F. Mourad, Marcus E. Randall, et al.
Citation: The Oncologist, 31(11), oyag370
Date: 09/2026
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Understanding Rurality and Associated Suicide Risks: Perspectives of Adolescents and Caregivers
Presents a study of how rural adolescents and their caregivers perceive rural communities and suicide risks in rural environments. Bases findings on semi-structured interviews with 27 adolescents and caregivers each, and discusses barriers to mental healthcare, access to lethal means, and the role of stigma, among other factors.
Author(s): Sophia E. Allen, Gwenyth Gasper, Hannah B. Leavitt, et al.
Citation: Academic Pediatrics, 26(7), 103402
Date: 09/2026
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Presents a study of how rural adolescents and their caregivers perceive rural communities and suicide risks in rural environments. Bases findings on semi-structured interviews with 27 adolescents and caregivers each, and discusses barriers to mental healthcare, access to lethal means, and the role of stigma, among other factors.
Author(s): Sophia E. Allen, Gwenyth Gasper, Hannah B. Leavitt, et al.
Citation: Academic Pediatrics, 26(7), 103402
Date: 09/2026
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September 2026 MACPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) September 2026 meeting. Covers community engagement requirements in Medicaid, state directed payments and healthcare-related taxes, a comparison of an updated inpatient hospital payment index across states, utilization management for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in Medicaid, and Medicaid coverage of assistive technology for adults, among other things. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Medicaid Coverage of Assistive Technology for Adults: Data Analysis and Stakeholder Interviews
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Transcript from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) September 2026 meeting. Covers community engagement requirements in Medicaid, state directed payments and healthcare-related taxes, a comparison of an updated inpatient hospital payment index across states, utilization management for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in Medicaid, and Medicaid coverage of assistive technology for adults, among other things. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Medicaid Coverage of Assistive Technology for Adults: Data Analysis and Stakeholder Interviews
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
Report highlights the rate of suicide among veterans and the VA's role in suicide prevention. Discusses the risk factors for veteran suicide and the steps the VA is taking for suicide prevention. Breaks down rates of suicide by sex, contact with the VHA, and rurality, among other factors.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Report highlights the rate of suicide among veterans and the VA's role in suicide prevention. Discusses the risk factors for veteran suicide and the steps the VA is taking for suicide prevention. Breaks down rates of suicide by sex, contact with the VHA, and rurality, among other factors.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025: Section-by-Section Summary
Provides a section-by-section description of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (P.L. 119-44). Includes background information and a summary of each provision. Table 1 presents expired authorizations and appropriations in the SUPPORT Act of 2018, related annual appropriations, and whether the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act reauthorized each provision.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides a section-by-section description of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (P.L. 119-44). Includes background information and a summary of each provision. Table 1 presents expired authorizations and appropriations in the SUPPORT Act of 2018, related annual appropriations, and whether the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act reauthorized each provision.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Methadone Versus Buprenorphine/Naloxone: Treatment Outcome Differences among Individuals Receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorders in Rural Treatment Settings - A 1-Year Retrospective Cohort Study
Presents a study comparing the efficacy of methadone and buprenorphine treatments for opioid use disorders (OUD) in community-based rural treatment settings. Bases findings on data from patients who began treatment in 2019 at four rural clinics in Oregon. Breaks down data by participant age, OUD diagnosis, and employment status, among other measures.
Author(s): Anna MacCamy, Lisa Khairy, Tara Wasser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(4), e70219
Date: 09/2026
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Presents a study comparing the efficacy of methadone and buprenorphine treatments for opioid use disorders (OUD) in community-based rural treatment settings. Bases findings on data from patients who began treatment in 2019 at four rural clinics in Oregon. Breaks down data by participant age, OUD diagnosis, and employment status, among other measures.
Author(s): Anna MacCamy, Lisa Khairy, Tara Wasser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(4), e70219
Date: 09/2026
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