The overall provider shortage, combined with other unique factors, means rural residents have the odds stacked against them when it comes to seeking mental and behavioral healthcare. But one expert says telehealth can make a big difference.
Key Rural Health Challenges Identified by Southwest Research Center miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The priority that survey respondents noted most frequently was mental health and mental disorders, with more than 75 percent of respondents including this area in their top 10 list. In second place, included in more than 60 percent of the top 10 lists, was addiction. In contrast, findings from the Rural Healthy People 2020 survey put these two priorities as the fourth and fifth most commonly cited.
The Southwest Rural Health Research Center at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health has published a peer-reviewed paper detailing Healthy People 2030 priorities that will be most critical for rural America in the upcoming decade.