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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Mental health

Ensuring Contact: Calling Rural Appalachian Older Adults During the COVID-19 Epidemic
Presents a study on the well-being and healthcare needs of socially isolated adults 75 years and older during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural West Virginia. Bases conclusions on telephone interviews with seniors from April 1-22, 2020. Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, mental and physical health conditions, and comfort with different forms of communication technology, among other factors.
Author(s): Robert B Walker, Michael Grome, William Rollyson, Adam D Baus
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(1), 6122
Date: 01/2021
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The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
Report details the a comprehensive national strategy for suicide prevention for individuals, families, and communities. Outlines 6 plans of actions to address suicide across the country, such as a broad-based public health response, crisis care and care transitions, and evidence-base care, among other factors.
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
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Mental Health Systems Solutions Explorer
Interactive tool offering evidence-based solutions to increase mental healthcare utilization, increase access to care, and establish a continuum of care. Contains examples of each solution in practice. Solutions can be filtered to view those specifically of interest to rural communities.
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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How to Transform the U.S. Mental Health System: Evidence-based Recommendations
Discusses evidence-based strategies to promote mental healthcare utilization, improve access to care, and establish a continuum of care. Offers 15 recommendations to improve mental healthcare, including policies regarding reimbursement, workforce growth, and digital and telehealth services, among other topics. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report, Research Brief: Transforming Mental Health Care in the United States
Author(s): Ryan K. McBain, Nicole K. Eberhart, Joshua Breslau, et al.
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Lessons Learned: Pediatric Tele-Mental Health in a Rural Medical Center in the Age of SARS-CoV-2
Explores a study on the use of telemedicine to expand mental healthcare access to rural children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses implementation concerns such as a need to protect patient privacy and expand internet-based infrastructure.
Author(s): Komal Satti, Olutosin Ojugbele
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 260-262
Date: 01/2021
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The Importance of Video Visits in the Time of COVID-19
Highlights the importance of video-to-home telemedicine (VTH) for maintaining mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the usefulness of VTH in expanding access to mental healthcare broadly, as well as some of the infrastructure-based limitations that currently exist.
Author(s): Jan A. Lindsay, Julianna B. Hogan, Anthony H. Ecker, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 242-245
Date: 01/2021
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Suicide in the Time of COVID-19: A Perfect Storm
Examines the risk of suicide in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Looks at suicide rates in Kentucky and nationally and discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially increase those rates.
Author(s): Sabrina Brown, Donna L. Schuman
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 211-214
Date: 01/2021
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A Pandemic of Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Burden of "Social Distancing" in Rural Communities During an Era of Heightened Suicide Risk
Discusses the potentially heightened risk of suicide in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines how decreased access to mental healthcare, economic stress, stigma, and social isolation could increase the risk of suicide in rural areas.
Author(s): Natalie B. Riblet, Susan P. Stevens, Bradley V. Watts, Brian Shiner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 207-210
Date: 01/2021
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Preventing Suicide in Rural Communities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Explores the potentially increased risk of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of providing mental healthcare. Highlights some of the factors related to COVID-19 that could increase the risk, such as self isolation, access to firearms, and decreased access to healthcare.
Author(s): Lindsey L. Monteith, Ryan Holliday, Talia L. Brown, Lisa A. Brenner, Nathaniel V. Mohatt
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 179-184
Date: 01/2021
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Flattening the Curve by Getting Ahead of It: How the VA Healthcare System Is Leveraging Telehealth to Provide Continued Access to Care for Rural Veterans
Describes the Veterans Health Administration's efforts to use telehealth to provide behavioral health services to rural veterans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): Ursula S. Myers, Anna Birks, Anouk L. Grubaugh, R. Neal Axon
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 194-196
Date: 01/2021
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