Rural Mental Health – Resources

Key Informant Perspectives on Rural Social Isolation and Loneliness
Describes challenges and opportunities related to health impacts of social isolation in rural areas, using data from interviews with 22 experts from 11 states and the District of Columbia. Addresses gaps in the literature on rural-urban differences in social isolation and offers suggestions for policy changes and programmatic interventions.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Alexandra Ecklund, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Pacific County, Wash.: Connection to Services Through Jail Screening and Referral
Describes efforts of a rural Washington State community to address the number of people with mental illnesses in their jail, as part of the national "Stepping Up" initiative. Examines the process of screening and providing connections to community-based providers.
Author(s): Nastassia Walsh
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Calaveras County, Calif.: Connecting Justice-Involved People to Treatment and Services
Describes best practice strategies used by a rural northern California county as part of the national "Stepping Up" initiative for the purpose of reducing the number of adults with mental illness in jails and connecting them to community-based treatment.
Author(s): Nastassia Walsh
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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Trajectory Classes of Cannabis Use and Heavy Drinking among Rural African American Adolescents: Multilevel Predictors of Class Membership
Presents a study on cannabis and alcohol use among African American youth in rural Georgia. Features data assessments over nine years beginning when the participants are 16 and ending when they are 25 and looks a perceived stress and other psychological risk factors.
Author(s): Allen W. Barton, Gene. H. Brody, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, et al.
Citation: Addiction, 113(8), 1439-1449
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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County-Level Trends in Suicide Rates in the U.S., 2005–2015
Presents an analysis of national suicide rates for 2005-2015 by county. Highlights rate changes in rural versus urban areas.
Author(s): Lauren M. Rossen, Holly Hedegaard, Diba Khan, Margaret Warner
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(1), 72-79
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
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Understanding Rural Communities
Podcast featuring an interview with Dennis Mohatt, the Vice President for Behavioral Health at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), discussing rural health and the stigma surrounding mental healthcare in rural communities. Covers what it means to work and collaborate with rural partners.
Date: 07/2018
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
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Geographic Variation in the Supply of Selected Behavioral Health Providers
Analyzes the geographic distribution of behavioral healthcare providers across the country. Breaks down data by metropolitan, micropolitan, and non-core counties and by psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Davis G. Patterson, Lisa A. Garberson, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6), Supp 3, S199-S207
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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Good Things in Small Packages? Evaluating an Economy of Scale Approach to Behavioral Health Promotion in Rural America
Discusses the relative effects of serving smaller versus larger student groups in a school-based youth risk prevention and behavioral health promotion program. Evaluation results are reported from the three-year program - I Got U: Healthy Life Choices for Teens - delivered to eighth-grade and tenth-grade rural Mississippi students from 2012 to 2015.
Author(s): John P. Bartkowski, Xiaohe Xu, Jerri S. Avery, et al.
Citation: Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal, 2018,1(1), 42-56
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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Adequacy of Depression Treatment in Spouses of Cancer Survivors: Findings from a Nationally Representative US Survey
Examines data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey to compare depression treatment for spouses of cancer survivors with treatment for other married individuals across the United States. Explores socioeconomic and rural/urban disparities in treatment rates to improve mental health outcomes for cancer survivors and their families.
Author(s): Kristin Litzelman, Abiola Keller, Amye Tevaarwerk, Lori DuBenske
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(6), 869-876
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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State Legislative Approach to Enumerating Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages: Lessons Learned in New Mexico
Describes the model developed in New Mexico (NM) as a result of the Health Care Work Force Data Collection, Analysis and Policy Act, initially enacted in 2011, to address behavioral health workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas, and the increased demand for services due to Medicaid expansion in the state. Highlights the purpose of the legislation, the development of a statewide workforce committee, policies implemented, lessons learned, and offers suggestions for other states considering legislation supporting behavioral health workforce initiatives.
Author(s): Deborah B. Altschul, Caroline A. Bonham, Martha J. Faulkner, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6S3), S220-S229
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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