Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health Information Hub

 

Rural Mental Health – News

News stories from the past 60 days.

Nov 25, 2019 - The Department of Agriculture reports an increase in calls to its Farm and Rural Helpline and more visits on the web version in the past few months. Describes how this year's harvest season has affected the mental health of farmers and their families and includes additional resources for support.
Source: Ag Week
Nov 19, 2019 - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai proposes to establish 988 as the new phone number for the suicide prevention and mental health hotline. If the proposal is adopted, all calls made to 988 will be routed from anywhere in the U.S. to the nearest crisis center. The Commission will vote on the proposal December 12, 2019.
Source: Federal Communications Commission
Nov 19, 2019 - Announcement of a virtual public meeting of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) to be held on December 10, 2019. Agenda items include information on federal efforts related to serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED), including updates on the following focus areas: Data, Access and Engagement, Treatment and Recovery, Justice, and Finance; and discussion on Pediatric Behavioral Health Federal Work.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 18, 2019 - Highlights a telehealth program at a school in rural Indiana that provides mental health services to students, regardless of insurance status. Discusses the barriers to implementing telehealth in schools, such as upfront costs and health insurance, but explains the positive impact these programs can have on students' grades, behavior, and mental health.
Source: Side Effects Public Media
Nov 13, 2019 - An interview with two professors at University of Virginia's Curry School of Education discussing their initiatives to support mental and behavioral health in rural schools. Describes the challenges rural schools have faced over the years and why it is important rural areas are represented in mental health research.
Source: UVA Today
Nov 13, 2019 - Announcement of virtual public subcommittee meetings of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) to be held throughout the day on December 4, 2019. The five subcommittee focus areas include treatment and recovery, data, justice, access and engagement, and finance.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 12, 2019 - Highs school students in rural Colorado created the "teen wellness voucher," which provides students free and confidential counseling in order to address the high youth suicide rate in the state. The vouchers entitle teens to two, one-hour sessions with a mental health professional and are available in schools, libraries, the post office, and the local arcade.
Source: Chalkbeat
Nov 11, 2019 - Highlights the Veteran's Club Facebook page, created as a support group for service members struggling with thoughts of suicide. Includes other programs such as AMVETS, aimed to educate military members and their families on the signs of suicide.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Nov 6, 2019 - Agricultural communities in Colorado are seeing increased suicide rates as they face financial instability and mental health challenges not found in other areas of the state. Features a rancher whose father died by suicide and the work she is doing to bring mental health resources to local rural communities.
Source: Colorado Sun
Nov 4, 2019 - Features a mother in rural Mississippi who struggles to find sufficient mental health care for her son because of the lack of services available in her community. Outlines a study that found the number of child psychologists in the U.S. has risen, but many rural and lower income counties are still without one.
Source: HuffPost
Oct 27, 2019 - Describes ongoing research on the mental health of agricultural workers and analyzes the difficulty of calculating farmers' suicide rates. Farmers face unique struggles, such as added pressure and deadly work conditions, programs offer mental health training for family members and health facilities so they can support agricultural workers they come in contact with.
Source: Daily Eastern News
Oct 27, 2019 - In the wake of Montana's major state budget cuts, counseling practices in remote counties get creative in how they offer mental health services. Facilities focus on offering integrated behavioral-health services, addressing social determinants of health, and recruiting qualified staff to continue providing necessary services.
Source: Daily Inter Lake
Oct 25, 2019 - Summarizes a research study that shows children living in counties with the highest poverty levels are more likely to die by suicide than children in wealthier counties. Includes a subgroup analyses reporting suicides by firearm increased with poverty concentration.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Oct 21, 2019 - A program in Amador County, California provides scholarships to students interested in working in mental health, some with their own personal ties to mental illness. Rural counties in the state have a shortage of mental health workers and this program aims to close the gap.
Source: KPBS
Oct 15, 2019 - The Alamogordo Police Department is one of the first small rural coverage areas to deploy a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) to assist law enforcement on crisis calls and address the gap in medication-assisted drug treatment services. The unit will respond to crisis calls to deescalate the situation and the mobile unit will follow up and put families and individuals in touch with mental health resources.
Source: Alamogordo Daily News

Last Updated: 11/26/2019