Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Behavioral health
Mental Health Care Access in Rural Communities amid the Expansion of Telehealth
Analyzes National Health Interview Survey and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to explore how mental healthcare access has changed for rural and urban residents as telehealth services have expanded. Discusses findings regarding publicly insured, privately insured, and self-pay patients.
Author(s): Anja Gruber, Anders Van Sandt, Scott Loveridge, Craig Carpenter, Cris Meier
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(9)
Date: 09/2026
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Analyzes National Health Interview Survey and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to explore how mental healthcare access has changed for rural and urban residents as telehealth services have expanded. Discusses findings regarding publicly insured, privately insured, and self-pay patients.
Author(s): Anja Gruber, Anders Van Sandt, Scott Loveridge, Craig Carpenter, Cris Meier
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(9)
Date: 09/2026
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Expanding Peer Recovery Services in Rural Georgia: A Recovery Community Organization's Approach
Provides information on recovery community organizations (RCOs) and their role in providing support to people with substance use disorder (SUD). Discusses the implementation, programs, services, staffing, funding, and impact of an RCO in rural Georgia.
Author(s): Vanessa Finisse
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Provides information on recovery community organizations (RCOs) and their role in providing support to people with substance use disorder (SUD). Discusses the implementation, programs, services, staffing, funding, and impact of an RCO in rural Georgia.
Author(s): Vanessa Finisse
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Supporting Agricultural Workers, and Their Mental Health
Short video discusses mental health struggles in the agricultural community and explores the story of a ranching family that lost a loved one to suicide. Details the Farm State of Mind campaign, which offers peer support and counseling.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Pew
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Short video discusses mental health struggles in the agricultural community and explores the story of a ranching family that lost a loved one to suicide. Details the Farm State of Mind campaign, which offers peer support and counseling.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Pew
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Historical State Actions Aligned with Approved RHTP Uses
Describes state legislation enacted to address rural health topics that coincide with priorities of the Rural Health Transformation Program, including chronic disease management, the healthcare workforce, emergency medical services, health technology, behavioral health, and healthcare payment.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Describes state legislation enacted to address rural health topics that coincide with priorities of the Rural Health Transformation Program, including chronic disease management, the healthcare workforce, emergency medical services, health technology, behavioral health, and healthcare payment.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Cancer Survival Differences Between Rural and Urban Populations During the Opioid Epidemic: A SEER Analysis
Explores how rural and urban cancer survival changed over time during the U.S. opioid epidemic, and how rural cancer survival disparities were associated with increasing drug mortality during the same period. Utilizes 2000-2016 SEER and CDC WONDER data.
Author(s): Martin G. Bouldo, Daniel J. Becker
Citation: Anticancer Research, 46(9), 4973-4984
Date: 09/2026
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Explores how rural and urban cancer survival changed over time during the U.S. opioid epidemic, and how rural cancer survival disparities were associated with increasing drug mortality during the same period. Utilizes 2000-2016 SEER and CDC WONDER data.
Author(s): Martin G. Bouldo, Daniel J. Becker
Citation: Anticancer Research, 46(9), 4973-4984
Date: 09/2026
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Chronic Pain in Community: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of the Vet-to-Vet Program
Examines healthcare utilization patterns among veterans with chronic pain enrolled in the Vet-to-Vet program, a peer-led virtual support group. Utilizes focus group feedback from 40 veterans in the program regarding outcomes from participation, including impacts on mental, physical, and social health.
Author(s): Rachael R. Kenney, Elise Gunzburger, Drew Herbert, Kyla L. Bauer, Joseph W. Frank
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70217
Date: 09/2026
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Examines healthcare utilization patterns among veterans with chronic pain enrolled in the Vet-to-Vet program, a peer-led virtual support group. Utilizes focus group feedback from 40 veterans in the program regarding outcomes from participation, including impacts on mental, physical, and social health.
Author(s): Rachael R. Kenney, Elise Gunzburger, Drew Herbert, Kyla L. Bauer, Joseph W. Frank
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70217
Date: 09/2026
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Unmasking the Rural Substance Use Burden: The Need to Move Beyond Macro-Level Data in Substance Use Policy and Planning
Brief examines health-related differences and service gaps of rural, non-rural, and national communities to better understand substance use trends in order to inform policies and interventions in rural communities. Bases findings on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and details rates of opioid, stimulant, vape, and alcohol use in rural and urban areas in 2023 and 2024.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance
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Brief examines health-related differences and service gaps of rural, non-rural, and national communities to better understand substance use trends in order to inform policies and interventions in rural communities. Bases findings on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and details rates of opioid, stimulant, vape, and alcohol use in rural and urban areas in 2023 and 2024.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance
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Exploring Potential Predictors and Mediators of Marijuana Use Among US Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Examines variables related to marijuana use among U.S. adult women who reported marijuana use in the last year. Utilizes 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze marijuana use with breakdowns according to sociodemographic variables, criminal history, binge drinking, and nonmetropolitan, small metropolitan, or large metropolitan county location.
Author(s): Elfreda Samman, Wah Wah Myint, Gabrielle Torres-Coley, Aishatu Yusuf
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 23
Date: 09/2026
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Examines variables related to marijuana use among U.S. adult women who reported marijuana use in the last year. Utilizes 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze marijuana use with breakdowns according to sociodemographic variables, criminal history, binge drinking, and nonmetropolitan, small metropolitan, or large metropolitan county location.
Author(s): Elfreda Samman, Wah Wah Myint, Gabrielle Torres-Coley, Aishatu Yusuf
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 23
Date: 09/2026
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Report on Suicide and Suicide Prevention in Texas: 2026 Update
Reports on suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, suicide mortality, and suicide prevention in Texas, including regional data and color-coded county maps. See pages 37-39 for suicide mortality data by level of rurality.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
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Reports on suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, suicide mortality, and suicide prevention in Texas, including regional data and color-coded county maps. See pages 37-39 for suicide mortality data by level of rurality.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
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Navigating Rural Challenges and Promoting Posttraumatic Growth via Expressive Writing: A Qualitative Study among Rural Breast Cancer Survivors
Preprint article discussing findings from an expressive writing therapeutic intervention for rural breast cancer survivors via interviews with 14 participants. Analyzes interview themes related to the impact of expressive writing on emotional regulation, personal strength, relationships to others, and more, including discussion of rural challenges with rural cancer survivorship and access to supportive services.
Author(s): Yusi Aveva Xu, Eunju Choi, Celia C. Y. Wong-Meli, et al.
Citation: Supportive Care in Cancer, 34, 965
Date: 09/2026
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Preprint article discussing findings from an expressive writing therapeutic intervention for rural breast cancer survivors via interviews with 14 participants. Analyzes interview themes related to the impact of expressive writing on emotional regulation, personal strength, relationships to others, and more, including discussion of rural challenges with rural cancer survivorship and access to supportive services.
Author(s): Yusi Aveva Xu, Eunju Choi, Celia C. Y. Wong-Meli, et al.
Citation: Supportive Care in Cancer, 34, 965
Date: 09/2026
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