Rural Mental Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Mental Health.
NSDUH Short Report: Substance Use Disorder and Major Depressive Episode among Females
Report explores rates of substance use disorder (SUD) and major depressive episode (MDE) among women from 2022-2024. Breaks down data by a number of factors, such as demographic factors, adolescents versus adults, SUD/MDE severity, and rurality, among other measures.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Report explores rates of substance use disorder (SUD) and major depressive episode (MDE) among women from 2022-2024. Breaks down data by a number of factors, such as demographic factors, adolescents versus adults, SUD/MDE severity, and rurality, among other measures.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Changes in the Availability of Inpatient Psychiatric Beds Across Rural and Urban Areas, 2012-2021
Policy brief describing numbers of Critical Access Hospitals and rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals providing inpatient psychiatric care, and comparing these to urban PPS hospitals. Also examines psychiatric unit closure rates and the effect on access to behavioral health services in rural areas.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah T. Croll, Jamar Croom, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Policy brief describing numbers of Critical Access Hospitals and rural Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals providing inpatient psychiatric care, and comparing these to urban PPS hospitals. Also examines psychiatric unit closure rates and the effect on access to behavioral health services in rural areas.
Author(s): John Gale, Zachariah T. Croll, Jamar Croom, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Expanding Behavioral Health Teams in Care Deserts With Community Health Workers and Peer Support Specialists
Report explores the role community health workers can play in expanding behavioral health access to rural areas and care deserts. Highlights how community health workers can support behavioral health access through outreach activities, serving as community liaisons, screening for behavioral health concerns, and providing community education, among other measures.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Report explores the role community health workers can play in expanding behavioral health access to rural areas and care deserts. Highlights how community health workers can support behavioral health access through outreach activities, serving as community liaisons, screening for behavioral health concerns, and providing community education, among other measures.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Model Standards for Crisis Care Workers
Proposes national standards for crisis care workers responding to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and other behavioral health hotlines. Outlines 10 different standards for crisis care workers, such as core values and competencies; education, training, and qualifications; and standards for supervision, among others. Discusses some considerations for rural communities, such as lack of transportation and workforce shortages.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Proposes national standards for crisis care workers responding to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and other behavioral health hotlines. Outlines 10 different standards for crisis care workers, such as core values and competencies; education, training, and qualifications; and standards for supervision, among others. Discusses some considerations for rural communities, such as lack of transportation and workforce shortages.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Methamphetamine Use, Mental Health Comorbidities, and Treatment in Rural and Urban Areas, 2016-2019
Examines the prevalence of methamphetamine use by level of rurality and U.S. region, with data on methamphetamine use and mental illness, suicide and suicidal ideation, concurrent alcohol use, treatment for methamphetamine use disorder, method of use, and other relating to methamphetamine use prevalence and associated risks.
Author(s): Signe E. Burchim, Lisa A. Garberson, Sara C. Woolcock, et al.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Examines the prevalence of methamphetamine use by level of rurality and U.S. region, with data on methamphetamine use and mental illness, suicide and suicidal ideation, concurrent alcohol use, treatment for methamphetamine use disorder, method of use, and other relating to methamphetamine use prevalence and associated risks.
Author(s): Signe E. Burchim, Lisa A. Garberson, Sara C. Woolcock, et al.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Mental Health Treatment among Adults Who Had Serious Thoughts of Suicide
Offers 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data showing adults that received mental health treatment and had thoughts of suicide. Includes a breakdown by county type at the large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan levels.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Offers 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data showing adults that received mental health treatment and had thoughts of suicide. Includes a breakdown by county type at the large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan levels.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Community-Initiated Care in Behavioral Health: Exploring Funding Mechanisms for Substance Use Disorders
Report explores funding options for behavioral health-focused community-initiated care (CIC) programs. Discusses CIC community partners, activities performed, and funding sources for programs to utilize. Details the characteristics of CIC programs, such as age groups and populations served, as well as prevalence in rural communities.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Financing Reform and Innovation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Report explores funding options for behavioral health-focused community-initiated care (CIC) programs. Discusses CIC community partners, activities performed, and funding sources for programs to utilize. Details the characteristics of CIC programs, such as age groups and populations served, as well as prevalence in rural communities.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Financing Reform and Innovation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2025
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources range from 2022 through 2024. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
view details
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources range from 2022 through 2024. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
view details
Calendar Year 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Final Rule (CMS-1834-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 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
view details
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 2026. Summarizes provisions regarding changes to hospital price transparency; Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and partial hospital program rate setting; updates to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting (ASCQR), and Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting (REHQR) Programs; hospital quality start ratings; and more.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
view details
2024 NSDUH Data Brief: Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults
Report examines generalized anxiety disorder in American adults through data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, education level, co-occurring substance use, and employment, as well as geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as geographic region, health insurance, rurality, and federal poverty level.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Report examines generalized anxiety disorder in American adults through data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Breaks down data by demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, education level, co-occurring substance use, and employment, as well as geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as geographic region, health insurance, rurality, and federal poverty level.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for: