Rural Mental Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Mental Health.
Addressing Workforce Challenges Across the Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Understanding the Optimal Balance of Using Telehealth and In-person Services to Support Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance
Explores the balance between telehealth and in-person care for serious mental illness (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and focus groups with mental health providers, adults with SMI, and parents of children with SED. Discusses how focus group participants made decisions about using telehealth versus in-person mental healthcare and how telehealth impacted access to care and engagement in treatment relative to in-person services.
Author(s): Jasmine Little, Megan Dormond, Sarah Croake, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Explores the balance between telehealth and in-person care for serious mental illness (SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Summarizes findings from an environmental scan and focus groups with mental health providers, adults with SMI, and parents of children with SED. Discusses how focus group participants made decisions about using telehealth versus in-person mental healthcare and how telehealth impacted access to care and engagement in treatment relative to in-person services.
Author(s): Jasmine Little, Megan Dormond, Sarah Croake, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Identifying Factors Associated With Variation in Telemental Health Delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers
Examines telemental health delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the U.S. Analyzes 1,270 FQHCs and their telemental appointments in 2021 and provides statistics according to mental health staffing, rurality of FQHC, state, and patient population descriptors, including age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status.
Author(s): Brianna Lombardi, Connor Sullivan, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Examines telemental health delivery at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the U.S. Analyzes 1,270 FQHCs and their telemental appointments in 2021 and provides statistics according to mental health staffing, rurality of FQHC, state, and patient population descriptors, including age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status.
Author(s): Brianna Lombardi, Connor Sullivan, Maria Gaiser, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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CY 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Final Rule (CMS 1809-FC)
Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; incorporating an add-on payment to the Medicare outpatient hospital all-inclusive rate (AIR) for certain high-cost drugs for people with Medicare who receive care at Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribal hospitals; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; a new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services; Medicaid and CHIP continuous eligibility; Medicaid clinic services "four walls" exceptions; and more.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Fact sheet providing an overview of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule regarding updates and changes to the Medicare payments for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services for calendar year 2025. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; incorporating an add-on payment to the Medicare outpatient hospital all-inclusive rate (AIR) for certain high-cost drugs for people with Medicare who receive care at Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribal hospitals; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; a new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services; Medicaid and CHIP continuous eligibility; Medicaid clinic services "four walls" exceptions; and more.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022
Examine trends related to symptoms of anxiety and depression between 2019 and 2022. Utilizes 2022 National Health Interview Survey data to examine symptoms by severity, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, region, and urbanization level, including large central metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan.
Author(s): Emily P. Terlizzi, Benjamin Zablotsky
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Examine trends related to symptoms of anxiety and depression between 2019 and 2022. Utilizes 2022 National Health Interview Survey data to examine symptoms by severity, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, region, and urbanization level, including large central metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, medium and small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan.
Author(s): Emily P. Terlizzi, Benjamin Zablotsky
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Medicare Payment Basics: Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Services Payment System
Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Overview of Medicare's payment system for inpatient psychiatric services provided in freestanding hospitals or specialized hospital-based units. Demonstrates how payments for these services are adjusted to reflect geographic differences in labor costs, and cost of care by facility and patient characteristics.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 10/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Connected and Strong: Strategies for Accessible and Effective Crisis and Mental Health Services
Presents ten reports addressing different issues affecting behavioral healthcare access across the U.S. and highlights strategies for addressing and overcoming access issues. Reports tackle different issues in behavioral health access, such as peer support, outpatient services, intersectionality and community partnerships, and crisis services, among others.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Presents ten reports addressing different issues affecting behavioral healthcare access across the U.S. and highlights strategies for addressing and overcoming access issues. Reports tackle different issues in behavioral health access, such as peer support, outpatient services, intersectionality and community partnerships, and crisis services, among others.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Intakes of Lean Proteins and Processed Meats and Differences in Mental Health between Rural and Metro Adults 50 Years and Older
Presents a study on the relationship between diet and mental health status of adults over 50 in rural and urban counties in North Dakota. Focuses specifically on lean versus processed protein intake and their correlation with reported rates of depression and anxiety. Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, including rural and urban location, and discusses food access issues in rural communities.
Author(s): Nathaniel R. Johnson, Sherri N. Stastny, Julie Garden-Robinson
Citation: Nutrients, 16(18), 3056
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Presents a study on the relationship between diet and mental health status of adults over 50 in rural and urban counties in North Dakota. Focuses specifically on lean versus processed protein intake and their correlation with reported rates of depression and anxiety. Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, including rural and urban location, and discusses food access issues in rural communities.
Author(s): Nathaniel R. Johnson, Sherri N. Stastny, Julie Garden-Robinson
Citation: Nutrients, 16(18), 3056
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
- Behavioral health
- Behavioral health workforce
- Mental health
- Mental health conditions
- Suicide and suicide prevention
Last Updated: 12/10/2024