Rural Project Examples Addressing Mental health conditions

Updated/reviewed November 2023

Need: Mental health assessment and referral to resources for men in rural Michigan who struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Intervention: The Healthy Men Michigan campaign was a research study testing online screening for depression, including irritability and anger, and suicide risk in working-aged men. The Healthy Men Michigan campaign website also provided referrals to local and national resources specific to men's mental health and suicide prevention.
Results: More than 5,000 individuals completed anonymous online screenings and 550 men enrolled in the study. Healthy Men Michigan secured partnerships with over 225 individual and organizational partners, including healthcare facilities, small businesses, and recreational groups across the state. Together, their efforts have helped to promote screenings, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking behavior to prevent suicide.

Added November 2023

Need: To reduce the number of overdose deaths in Richmond, Indiana and connect people in need of mental health treatment to community resources.
Intervention: A mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) program that connects social workers with people who have just experienced a mental health crisis or overdose.
Results: More than 320 people have been referred to Richmond's MIH programs since June 2022.

Added October 2023

Need: To support pregnant and parenting women with a history of substance use, mental health, or co-occurring disorders in rural areas of Montana.
Intervention: One Health, a consortium of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), developed a team of "recovery doulas" – individuals who are dual-certified as doulas and peer-support specialists. The One Health recovery doula program offers group and individual services to women and their partners from pregnancy through the first years of parenthood.
Results: A team of nine recovery doulas (or doulas-in-training) employed by One Health offer services in ten rural Montana counties. Recovery doulas have provided essential support to women with substance use disorder, survivors of sexual abuse, unhoused individuals, and individuals facing other complex challenges.

Updated/reviewed May 2023

Need: Out of 79 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) surveyed in Minnesota in 2015, behavioral health was the most frequently cited service requested.
Intervention: In response, Rural Health Innovations launched the Minnesota Integrative Behavioral Health Program. This initiative engaged representatives across all sectors in health integration between hospital, primary care, and community services.
Results: Strategy sessions resulted in the creation of resource directories to improve care coordination, evaluation measurements to document results, and an overall better understanding of integrative care challenges.

Updated/reviewed June 2022

Need: Improved behavioral health care offerings for a community after losing 5 senior-aged men to suicide.
Intervention: A Critical Access Hospital in Yoakum, Texas, created a community-based program focusing on inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care for area residents age 50 and older.
Results: A financially-sustainable behavioral health care delivery model demonstrating positive impacts on physical health conditions, healthcare service utilization, and high patient satisfaction rates.

Updated/reviewed April 2021

Need: Ending a local Vermont population's homelessness experience.
Intervention: In 2010, Pathways Vermont implemented a first-of-its-kind, rural-focused Housing First program in order to provide housing and support services to those with mental health and substance use conditions experiencing homelessness.
Results: Since its initial start-up, Pathways Vermont has assisted over 560 Vermonters — about 70% from rural areas — experiencing homelessness using the Housing First model. The organization has collaborated with the state mental health department, corrections department, local healthcare systems and providers, and other organizations to end homelessness. In addition, programmatic work has expanded to reach other local populations, including veterans and at-risk families.

Updated/reviewed February 2020

Need: To help reduce diabetes, depression, and stroke risk in rural residents.
Intervention: A collaborative care model was implemented in the Idaho counties of Clearwater, Idaho, and Lewis.
Results: Increased number of patients with controlled blood sugar, controlled blood pressure, and higher depression screening rates.

Updated/reviewed December 2019

Need: A healthcare delivery model to improve health and well-being of Pennsylvania patients with serious mental illness in Pennsylvania, especially those in rural settings.
Intervention: County human service administrators, patients, families, a behavioral health provider network, and a nonprofit behavioral health managed care organization implemented 2 versions of a behavioral home health model focusing on a complete culture of wellness.
Results: These unique models significantly increased patient activation, engagement in both primary and specialty care, and improved client perception of their mental health status.

Added March 2019

Need: Pediatric behavioral health services in Delta County, Colorado.
Intervention: Multi-organizational and community-wide effort to increase healthcare access for underserved children and to integrate behavioral health care into the area's primary care clinics.
Results: Sustainable increases in access to pediatric behavioral health services.

Rural Project Examples: Mental health conditions