Rural Mental Health – Resources

Rural Social Isolation, with Carrie Henning-Smith
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, Deputy Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural social isolation, the negative effects it has on wellness, and how it can be mitigated.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020
Looks at U.S. adults 18 years and older self-reporting a lifetime diagnosis of depression. Includes a map showing county-level information, as well as a separate file providing model-based age-standardized county-level prevalence estimates.
Additional links: Supplementary Table: County-Level Estimates
Author(s): Benjamin Lee, Yan Wang, Susan A. Carlson, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(24), 644-650
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5–17 Years: United States, 2021
Reports on U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 17 who had counseling or therapy from a mental health professional or took prescription medication for mental health in the past 12 months. Includes data for children living in nonmetropolitan areas, small or medium metro areas, and large metro areas.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Amanda E. Ng
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Expansion of Telehealth Availability for Mental Health Care After State-Level Policy Changes From 2019 to 2022
Explores mental health access associated with state-level telehealth policy changes due to COVID-19. Highlights disparities in mental health via telehealth access before and after COVID-related policy changes and details access rates in counties based on race and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Ryan K. McBain, Megan S. Schuler, Nabeel Qureshi, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(6), e2318045
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths - Special Feature: Youth Mental Health and Well-Being
Presents the rates of drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2021 and from 1999 to 2021. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair and the state of the ongoing opioid crisis. Includes a special feature focusing on youth mental health and well being. Highlights data on rural and urban communities.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care in Rural America
Recording of a May 2023 webinar discussing behavioral health and primary care integration in rural areas. Explores the importance of integration in rural areas, the barriers to integration, and opportunities for policies that can improve access to care. Features opening remarks from Tom Morris, Associate Administrator for Rural Health Policy at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and a panel of providers from Missouri, New Hampshire, and Texas. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Achieving Behavioral Health Care Integration in Rural America
Provides an overview of behavioral health and primary care integration and how integration may be different in rural areas than in urban and suburban areas. Examines the barriers to integration in rural areas and opportunities for policies that can improve access to care. Offers policy recommendations to better coordinate and integrate primary care and behavioral health services for high-risk groups and expand the ability of primary care providers to handle the lower-acuity behavioral health needs of patients through enhanced payments, training, and improved access to behavioral health providers for consultation and referral. Builds on the March 2021 report, Tackling America's Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Through Primary Care Integration.
Author(s): Kendall Strong, Michele Gilbert, Julia Harris, et al.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Understanding the U.S. Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage
Discusses the shortage of behavioral health professionals across the country and highlights some of the contributing factors. Breaks down factors affecting licensed providers, clinical supporters, community care workers, and frontline workers. Makes recommendations for policymakers and includes considerations for rural areas.
Author(s): Nathaniel Counts
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Rural Healthy People 2030: Common Challenges, Rural Nuances
Policy brief focused on Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on health priorities of rural populations. Features rural stakeholder perspectives on the top 20 Rural Healthy People priorities with breakdowns by census region, Medicaid expansion status, gender, age, race, and field of employment.
Author(s): Morgan Kassabian, Aakriti Shrestha, Timothy Callaghan, et al.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Behavioral Health Conditions Reach Crisis Levels: Counties Urge Stronger Intergovernmental Partnerships and Outcomes
Features a number of counties throughout the nation and details their behavioral health needs and access challenges. Presents each county as a case study. Describes the policy priorities for each county and the barriers to access. Several of the featured counties are rural.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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