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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Mental health

Decisions to Practice in Rural Areas Among Mental Health Care Professionals
Research letter describing a study examining factors associated with mental health professionals' decisions to practice in rural areas and whether those factors differ by professional type. Uses data from Minnesota's health licensing boards and a survey of active Minnesota healthcare professionals collected from 2022-2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by provider type and rural or urban location.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Teri Fritsma, Andrew P.J. Olson, Selam Woldegerima, Hannah MacDougall
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(6), e2421285
Date: 06/2024
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Playbook for Enhancing Indiana's Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce
Provides an overview of strategies to improve the mental and behavioral health workforce in Indiana, with a focus on the health workforce pipeline, school-based behavioral health workforce, clinical training, and the alignment of education, policy, and practice. Includes county-level maps that depict workforce strength, location of behavioral health training programs, and Area Health Education Center (AHEC) regions. Includes data on behavioral health issues in Indiana as well as references to successful programs in other U.S. states.
Author(s): H.L. Maxey, M.M. Tobin
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy, Indiana University School of Medicine
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Veterans Health Care: Opportunities Exist to Improve Assessment of Network Adequacy for Mental Health
Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Networks (CCN) program and how the VA and contractors develop and maintain mental health provider networks. Describes how the VA assesses the adequacy of the CCN mental health provider networks. Examines the extent to which the VA collects information on the factors that contribute to scheduling timeliness challenges for community care appointments, including for mental health appointments. Presents data on the percentage of CCN mental health claims that were within drive-time and appointment-availability standards between April 2022 and March 2023 by CCN region, rurality, and care setting.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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A Comparison Between Farm-Related Stress, Mental Health, and Social Support Between Men and Women Farmers
Highlights a study on the differences in farm-related stress, mental health, and social support for men and women farmers. Discusses the survey-based screening of farmers in Illinois for mental health conditions of men and women farmers and compares rates to each other and to the general population.
Author(s): Josie M. Rudolphi, Courtney Cuthbertson, Amandeep Kaur, Jesus Sarol
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), 684
Date: 05/2024
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Health Disparities in Tennessee
Examines health disparities experienced by Tennessee residents. Measures include life expectancy, health equity, healthcare access, mental health and trauma, infectious disease, chronic disease, cancer, reproductive health, and age-specific health. Features statistics with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, sex, and urban or rural location.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Evaluation of Using Telehealth for Opioid Use Disorders in a Correctional Setting
Report evaluates a telehealth intervention in a rural county jail to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and therapy to inmates with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights program goals and details data from participant surveys on the intervention's perceived quality and efficacy.
Author(s): Marina Duane, Jennifer Yahner, Malore Dusenbery, Erica Henderson
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Office of Justice Programs
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Place-Based Strengths and Vulnerabilities for Mental Wellness Among Rural Minority Older Adults: An Intervention Development Study Protocol
Presents a study on access to mental healthcare for older minorities in rural areas. Explores some of the barriers specific to racial and ethnic minorities in rural areas. Uses data as the basis for an intervention focused on place-based disparities in depression.
Author(s): Elise Trott Jaramillo
Citation: BMJ Open, 14(6), e088348
Date: 05/2024
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Enduring Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, Appalachian community in Kentucky. Utilizes focus group data from 39 participants to analyze ongoing issues such as social isolation, cost of living, and food access. Discusses how these issues affect mental health, access to needed medications, and ability to purchase nutritious food.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, Nathan Bandy, Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 594
Date: 05/2024
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Providing Behavioral Health Support for Older Adults
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with leaders of Broaddus Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in West Virginia, describing how they work to identify and fill the unique mental health needs of older adults in the community, including the development of an intensive outpatient group therapy program for older adults.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Alabama Health Professional Shortage Areas - Mental Health
County-level map with shadings showing geographic and low-income Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Alabama.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Public Health
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