Rural Mental Health – Resources

State Medicaid Managed Care and Access to Rural Behavioral Health Services
Details how states with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are using MCO contract language to increase access to behavioral healthcare through service access requirements, provider network requirements, and telehealth utilization policies. Includes links to available MCO contracts and requests for applications.
Author(s): Eliza Mette, Jodi Manz
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Bringing Mental Health Services to Rural Residents
Describes how rural areas are using teams of lay mental health workers and mental health professionals to provide mental health services. Features a new library initiative in Texas and an established crisis line in Georgia.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Suicide Among American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans Who Use Veterans Health Administration Care: 2004–2018
Examines suicide rates between 2004 and 2018 in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) veterans who utilized healthcare services from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Examines trends in suicide rates by 5-year observation periods starting in 2004 and breaks down data by age, sex, and race (single race AI/AN or multi-race AI/AN).
Author(s): Nathaniel V. Mohatt, Claire A. Hoffmire, Alexandra L. Schneider, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 60(4), 275-278
Date: 04/2022
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Response to Suicide in Rural Communities: A Panel Discussion
Webinar recording features a discussion about youth suicide prevention in both rural schools and communities. Highlights rates of suicide among youth aged 10 to 24 from 2009-2018 and details the perspectives of mental health professionals working in rural communities.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
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Mental Health Service Use, Suicide Behavior, and Emergency Department Visits Among Rural US Veterans Who Received Video-Enabled Tablets During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study to examine whether a United States Veterans Affairs initiative to distribute video-enabled tablets during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with mental healthcare access, suicide behavior, or emergency department (ED) visits among rural veterans. Features demographics and statistics on mental health services use and ED visits, with breakdowns by tablet recipients and nonrecipients.
Author(s): Kritee Gujral, James Van Campen, Josephine Jacobs, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(4)
Date: 04/2022
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Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action
Bipartisan report summarizing findings from three Senate Finance Committee hearings and a request for information regarding challenges in the mental healthcare system. Describes the prevalence of behavioral health conditions in the United States, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and spending on behavioral health. Outlines key challenges across five cross-cutting areas: the behavioral health workforce; children, adolescents, and young adults; access to care, integration, and care coordination; mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity; and telehealth. Includes information on challenges facing rural and underserved communities.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance
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Strengthening Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Issues
Presents a full committee hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discussing the current state of federal mental health and substance use disorder programs. Features testimonies from representatives of the Heath Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Additional links: Carole Johnson Testimony, Joshua A. Gordon Testimony, Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon Testimony, Nora D. Volkow Testimony
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Association Between Mental Health and Oral Health Status and Care Utilization
Highlights a study on the correlation between oral and mental health issues. Examines factors that contribute to poor mental and oral health status. Details participants' household income, insurance status, and whether they live in a metro or non-metro area, among other factors.
Author(s): Tamanna Tiwari, Abigail Kelly, Cameron L. Randall, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Oral Health, 2, 732882
Date: 02/2022
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PCORI Virtual Briefing on Suicide Prevention in Youth and Young Adults: Watch the Briefing
Discusses suicide risk in young adults and how the issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes expert panel discussion and conversations around increased risk in rural areas, as well as information on PCORI-funded research on youth suicide.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
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Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2013–2019
Examines mental disorders and indicators of poor mental health among children, mental health services for children, and positive indicators of mental health, based on data from nine federal surveillance systems. Includes rural data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; behavioral or conduct problems; depression; anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; Tourette syndrome; substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and/or illicit drug use disorder; suicidal ideation and suicide attempts; receipt of mental health treatment, services, and medication; and positive indicators of mental health.
Author(s): Rebecca H. Bitsko, Angelika H. Claussen, Jesse Lichstein, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) Supplements, 71(2), 1-42
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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