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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health

COVID-19 and the Rural Opioid Epidemic: Recommendations to Improve Health in Illinois
Examines the rural opioid epidemic in Illinois and offers policy recommendations to increase access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) centers, engaging populations involved with the criminal justice system, and expanding harm reduction services. Offers data on state opioid fatality rates with rural and urban comparisons and monthly mortality rates based on state Department of Public Health data. Discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opioid epidemic.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
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Grantee Spotlight: Building Capacity for Tribal Health Providers to Deliver OUD Treatment in Rural Alaska
Profile features the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and discusses its work supporting providers and organizations who provide treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in tribal communities in Alaska. Highlights some of the barriers to OUD treatment in rural Alaska and the methods used to overcome them.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)
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Improving Methadone Access for Rural Communities in the USA: Lessons Learned from Covid-19 Adaptations and International Models of Care
Explores the effect of changes to methadone treatment protocols for opioid use disorder in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on access to treatment in rural areas. Discusses telehealth, dispensing schedules, and distribution models before and during the pandemic.
Author(s): Jamey J Lister, Holly H Lister
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(4)
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
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Supporting Telehealth and Technology-Assisted Services for People Who Use Drugs: A Resource Guide
Offers policy, training, and planning resources for Substance Use Disorder treatment providers, harm reduction organizations, and others looking to implement telehealth and technology-assisted services to improve the health and wellness of people who use drugs. Discusses participant barriers to accessing technology, including rural-specific challenges, and describes rural initiatives among other case studies.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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MACPAC Response to Senate Finance Committee Request for Information on Behavioral Health
Summarizes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) ongoing analysis of behavioral health in Medicaid and CHIP and offers policy recommendations. Discusses the behavioral health workforce; behavioral healthcare service delivery and access; mental health parity; telehealth; and improving access for children and youth. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Long-acting Buprenorphine Injectables: Opportunity to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment among Rural Populations
Explores a study on the potential effect long-acting buprenorphine injectables could have on access to treatment of opioid use disorder in rural areas. Discusses the functionality of the medication, as well as the different patient populations and healthcare settings that could potentially benefit from them.
Author(s): Michelle R.Lofwall, Laura C.Fanucchi
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 152(2), 106756
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
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Overdose Response and Linkage to Care: A Roadmap for Health Departments
Shares resources and tools organized around 7 strategies for state and local health departments to implement that focus on linking individuals at risk of opioid overdose to care. Includes rural-specific considerations, examples, and resources throughout.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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Oregon Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 11/2021
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Trends in Outpatient Telemedicine Utilization Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries, 2010 to 2019
Examines the growth of telehealth utilization among rural Medicare beneficiaries between 2010-2019. Compares telehealth use across beneficiaries with a severe mental illness diagnosis, other mental health diagnoses, and with no mental health diagnoses. Describes trends for mental health versus non-mental health visits and across clinician specialties. Presents data on rural Medicare beneficiary characteristics with and without a telemedicine visit in 2019, including age, race and ethnicity, sex, U.S. Census division, and more.
Author(s): Michael L. Barnett, Haiden A. Huskamp, Alisa B. Bush, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 2(10), e213282
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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The State of the World's Children 2021 - On My Mind: Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children's Mental Health
Examines child, adolescent, and caregiver mental health, focusing on risks and protective factors at critical moments in the life course. Discusses COVID-19's effect on mental health, and the social determinants that shape mental health and well-being. Features statistics on child mortality rates, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, early childhood development, and education, with breakdowns by countries and territories including Palau, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
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