Rural Mental Health – Resources

Medicare's Mental Health Coverage: How COVID-19 Highlights Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement
Report explores Medicare beneficiaries' access to mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Breaks down data by beneficiary type, severity of illness, and rural versus urban location, among other measures. Highlights barriers to care and makes recommendations for the future.
Author(s): Beth McGinty
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Responding to Behavioral Health Needs in Rural America
Presentation slides discussing behavioral health issues and needs in rural America. Describes approaches to enhance behavioral health service delivery and implications for public policy.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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American Communities Experience Deaths of Despair at Uneven Rates
Analyzes nationally representative data from 2014-2018 on deaths of despair (DoD), or deaths resulting from substance use or suicide. Includes county-level statistics on DoD, with information broken down by rurality and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Dante Chinni
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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Suicide Rates on the Rise: National Trends and Demographics in Suicide Deaths from 2000 to 2018
Brief details the national trends in deaths by suicide from 2002-2018 by demographics, such as age, sex, and urbanization, among others. Includes a state-level brief that highlights suicide trends by state.
Additional links: State-level Brief
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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A Qualitative Evaluation of the Impacts of a Strength-Based and Youth-Driven Approach to Suicide Prevention in Rural and Minority Communities in Hawai'i
Evaluates a suicide prevention initiative aimed at Native Hawaiian youth. Bases conclusions on feedback from interviews with community coordinators and youth leaders and discusses the perceived impact of the program.
Author(s): Mapuana C.K. Antonio, Jane J. Chung-Do, Deborah A. Goebert, et al.
Citation: Hawai'i Journal of Health and Social Welfare, 79(5 Suppl 1), 96-100
Date: 05/2020
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Report to Congress: Reducing Barriers to Furnishing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Using Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring for Pediatric Populations under Medicaid - Final Report
Details methods to reduce barriers to the use of telehealth for mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment for pediatric patients covered by Medicaid. Highlights barriers, best practices, and costs, among other measures. Features several case studies across the U.S., including in rural communities.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Rural-Nonrural Differences in Telemedicine Use for Mental and Substance Use Disorders Among Medicaid Beneficiaries
Presents a study on the rural and urban differences in use of telemedicine for mental and substance use disorder treatment among Medicaid beneficiaries. Breaks down data by patient demographics, year studied, and behavioral health disorder, among other measures.
Author(s): Timothy B. Creedon, Kristin E. Schrader, Peggy L. O'Brien, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 71(8), 756-764
Date: 04/2020
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Depression, Alcohol and Farm Stress: Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Rural America
Offers resources to help rural healthcare providers screen farmers, farmworkers, and farm families for alcohol use disorder and depression. Discusses farm stress and covers three categories of barriers to rural substance use and mental health services: accessibility, availability, and acceptability. Includes a hypothetical case scenario to illustrate the obstacles and challenges rural farm families experience when attempting to receive care for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Author(s): Maridee Shogren, Robin Landwehr, David Terry, Abby Roach-Moore, Andrew McLean
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Increase in Suicide Mortality in the United States, 1999–2018
Reports on changes in suicide rates in the U.S. from 1999 through 2018. Includes 2018 age-adjusted suicide rates for men and women by county of residence for urban and rural counties.
Author(s): Holly Hedegaard, Sally C. Curtin, Margaret Warner
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years with Serious Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties, by Sex and Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, 2016–2018
Bar chart comparing metropolitan and nonmetro rates of serious emotional and behavioral difficulties among children and adolescents aged 4-17 overall, for boys, and for girls.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(10), 276
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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