Let’s Focus on Behavioral and Mental Health in Rural Communities
MedCity News February 5, 2023
In the next 12-18 months, healthcare providers — especially rural providers — have an opportunity to lay the foundation that will stem the volume of patients with mental health issues from going to the emergency room.
If there’s a silver lining to the past two years, the pandemic brought mental health to the forefront.
Studies show that one in five adults will experience a behavioral health disorder yearly. The number is almost certainly higher in rural areas.
Anxiety and depression rates among adults reached 42% during the pandemic, according to data secured by the National Center for Health Statistics in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.
About a fifth of the population lives in rural areas. While mental health issues...