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

Community Forums as Amplifiers of Communities' Voices: Isolated Communities in Puerto Rico
Highlights a study on health-related issues in isolated communities in Puerto Rico. Utilizes a community forum to identify health-related issues, such as primary care and mental health access, social determinants of health, emergency preparedness, and COVID-19 vaccinations, among other measures.
Author(s): Yashira M. Sánchez Colón, Edna Acosta Pérez, Mayra L. Roubert Rivera, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(14), 6335
Date: 07/2023
view details
Rural-Urban Disparities in Video Telehealth Use During Rapid Mental Health Care Virtualization Among American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans
Compares the use of video telehealth for mental healthcare between American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and non–AI/AN veterans by urban and rural residence from October 2019 through December 2020. Provides an overview of health disparities among AI/AN veterans. Presents monthly data on the number and percent of mental health encounters by type, rurality, and AI/AN status.
Author(s): Isabelle S. Kusters, Amber B. Amspoker, Kristen Frosio, et al.
Citation: JAMA Psychiatry
Date: 07/2023
view details
Health Panel Comment Letter – HHS Smoking Cessation Framework 2023
Offers comments in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Request for Information on the draft HHS 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation. Discusses tobacco use in rural areas, incorporating payment strategies to incentivize clinical providers and health plans to address tobacco cessation, the importance of culturally competent interventions, and more.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
Tackling the Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: A Governor's Playbook
Provides an overview of maternal morbidity and mortality trends, including racial and geographic disparities, as well as the underlying causes of poor maternal health in the United States. Outlines 32 recommendations across five priority areas that can be implemented in coordination with critical stakeholders, such as industry and community leaders, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and people with lived experience. Priority 3 covers recommendations related to disparities affecting Black and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Afton Bloom, Boldly Go Philanthropy, National Governors Association
view details
Urban-Rural Differences in Mental Health Concerns: Findings from a Survey of the American General Population
Provides metro versus nonmetro population comparisons related to mental health perceptions, concerns, knowledge, and awareness, utilizing 2022 National Alliance on Mental Illness survey data.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
view details
Rural Health Policy Landscape: Implications for Addressing Behavioral Health
Presentation slides from a July 22, 2023, presentation at the 48th Annual Rural Social Work Conference. Provides an overview of the federal, state, and commercial insurance policy landscapes regarding healthcare value and payment. Offers policy recommendations related to rural behavioral health.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details
The Frontier of Harm Reduction: Expanding Services for Rural People Who Use Drugs
Describes how harm reduction approaches help reduce health risks related to substance use and explains how these approaches are being adapted in rural areas. Highlights innovative harm reduction strategies being used in rural communities in Alaska, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Indian Health Service Program Evaluation Services: Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Projects FY 2021-2022 Report
Report evaluates the Indian Health Service's Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Project aimed at addressing opioid use disorder in tribal communities. Collects and evaluates data from grantees after the program's first year, April 1, 2021-March 31, 2022. Explores grantees' progress in building organizational capacity, community and educational events, and professional trainings, among other measures.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
view details
Updated Medicare FFS Telehealth Trends by Beneficiary Characteristics, Visit Specialty and State, 2019-2021
Examines telehealth visits by Medicare beneficiaries from 2019 through 2021. Compares telehealth use by patient characteristics, including urban and rural residence and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), visit specialty, health conditions, and state.
Author(s): Lok Wong Samson, Sara J. Couture, Tim B. Creedon, Laura Jacobus-Kantor, Steven Sheingold
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Evaluation of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model: Third Evaluation Report
Evaluates the first four and a half performance years of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model (VTAPM), which aims to assess whether scaling an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) across all payers in the state can reduce program expenditures while preserving or improving care quality. Discusses the implementation of the model, provider engagement, efforts to address population health goals; characteristics of participating hospitals, practitioners, and beneficiaries; and the model's impacts on Medicare spending, utilization, and quality of care. Describes trends in substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment for Medicaid members. Outlines challenges and lessons learned, as well as areas for future research.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance, Technical Appendices
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details