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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health workforce

Nebraska Rural Health Advisory Commission's Rural Health Recommendations
Identifies some of the major rural health issues in Nebraska and proposes recommendations to address them. Examines health workforce shortages, behavioral health issues, and the effect of COVID-19 on the Nebraska rural healthcare systems.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
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Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska Legislative Report FY 2020 & 2021
Provides an overview of the demographic and geographic characteristics of the behavioral health workforce in Nebraska. Discusses behavioral health workforce recruitment, education, funding, and retention strategies in the state. Compares the supply of behavioral health providers in Nebraska versus the national average, in addition to rural versus urban areas of Nebraska. Includes maps of provider locations, training locations, and integrated primary care/behavioral health care clinics across the state.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska
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How is the Mental Health Workforce in Texas Distributed?
Report showing the distribution of the mental health care workforce in Texas. Includes a county-level breakdown of the ratio of mental health providers per 100,000 people as well as which counties have no mental health provider. Discusses distribution as a contributor to the mental health workforce shortage.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services
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Utah's Mental Health Workforce 2021: A Study on the Supply and Distribution of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psychologists in Utah
Discusses mental health provider demographic changes, practice characteristic changes, and projections for the future supply of Utah's mental health workforce. Offer policy recommendations for strengthening the rural mental healthcare workforce, and features statistics including county-by-county distribution of mental health professionals, with breakdowns by urban, rural, and frontier locations,
Author(s): Sydney Groesbeck, Jerry Bounsanga, Andrew Salt, Clark Ruttinger
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Utah Health Workforce Information Center
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MACPAC Response to Senate Finance Committee Request for Information on Behavioral Health
Summarizes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) ongoing analysis of behavioral health in Medicaid and CHIP and offers policy recommendations. Discusses the behavioral health workforce; behavioral healthcare service delivery and access; mental health parity; telehealth; and improving access for children and youth. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Oregon Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 11/2021
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Recruitment and Retention Issues for Counselors in Rural Pennsylvania Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs
Results of a study of Pennsylvania substance use disorder (SUD) counselors and directors of treatment programs and clinics, to assess the characteristics of treatment counselors in rural Pennsylvania counties and how those characteristics relate to recruitment and retention issues. Also examines how well higher education institutions in rural counties prepare those entering the profession, and analyzes the effectiveness of state-level incentives, like the student loan repayment program, to attract potential SUD counselors. Features statistics on counselors' characteristics and duties, and client characteristics.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Jennifer Murphy
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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The Effect of National Health Service Corps Clinician Staffing on Medical and Behavioral Health Care Costs in Community Health Centers
Examines the contribution of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and non-NHSC clinicians to medical and behavioral health costs per visit, using 2013-2017 data from 1,022 Federally Qualified Health Centers merged with the NHSC participant data. Features statistics on average costs per visit for medical or behavioral healthcare, with breakdowns including rural facility location.
Author(s): Xinxin Han, Patricia Pittman, Leighton Ku
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S428-S433
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with SMI in Rural and Remote Communities
Discusses behavioral health workforce shortages in rural and remote areas and the effect this has on healthcare access for people with serious mental illness (SMI). Highlights strategies for reducing barriers to access and improve workforce retention. Provides examples of programs to improve access in various states.
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Psychiatric Association, SMI Adviser, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Telebehavioral Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of Provider Experiences and Perspectives
Examines behavioral health provider perspectives on use of telebehavioral health before and during the pandemic, based on interviews with 31 behavioral health providers in Michigan. Describes how policy changes affected access to and use of behavioral health services, especially among rural residents. Includes statistics on provider characteristics, with breakdowns by urban or rural primary practice location.
Author(s): Victoria Schoebel, Caitlyn Wayment, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 27(8), 947-954
Date: 08/2021
Type: Document
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