In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published multiple reports analyzing health disparities between rural and urban populations. That effort pleased researchers and advocates for improving rural health because the dozen or so examinations of rural health data provided important details about the 46 million Americans who live away from the nation’s population centers. It began to fill a gap in the information used by those who study and address the issues that affect people in rural communities. But those reports, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report rural health series, began and ended in 2017. And though the CDC has addressed rural health in other weekly reports and data briefs, the agency hasn’t examined it in such depth since.

Schizophrenia is one of the most recognized yet least understood chronic brain disorders. The estimates of the international prevalence of schizophrenia among noninstitutionalized individuals are 0.33% to 0.75%. Schizophrenia is complex and characterized by substantial biological and clinical heterogeneity that varies significantly from person to person, leading to missed diagnosis and conflation with other diseases or drug use.

For Americans who live in cities or suburbs, going to the doctor is usually a simple errand. Even if they have trouble finding an appointment time that works for their schedule or getting their health insurance to cover it, their doctor’s office or hospital is usually a manageable distance from their home or work. However, for 46 million Americans living in rural areas, accessing healthcare isn’t as easy. According to a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center, nearly a quarter of rural Americans say access to good-quality hospitals and doctors is a challenge for their community. Making things worse, these rural residents tend to be older, less wealthy, and less likely to have health insurance than their urban and suburban counterparts.

More than 100 million people, or nearly one-third of the nation, have trouble accessing primary care, according to a recent study published by the National Association of Community Health Centers. This number has nearly doubled since 2014. The pandemic worsened provider shortages nationwide, but the problem is more acute in rural areas, which have long struggled to recruit and retain doctors and other medical professionals. Researchers say the relative lack of providers is one reason people living in rural areas experience worse health outcomes than people who live in urban areas.

March 29, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, 4 milligram (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC), nonprescription, use – the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose. Today’s action paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online. 

“Routinely asking about mental health normalizes the conversation, much like asking about digestive health or any other body system you discuss with your primary care provider,” said study coauthor Jessica Jurasin, MSN, FNP-C, ARN. “It serves as an invitation to start the discussion, which can be an enormous hurdle when stigma is involved.”

Mental illness represents a broad spectrum of health conditions affecting mood, thinking and behavior. Fortunately, hope is on the horizon as biopharmaceutical research companies have made tremendous strides towards understanding mental illnesses and developing innovative medicines. Today, PhRMA released a new report covering 163 medicines in development that are targeting common mental illnesses, all of which are in clinical trials or awaiting review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The promise of the pipeline is represented across a wide range of mental illnesses,

Is it any wonder there is a mental health crisis in rural America? Hurricanes, floods, regulations, lawsuits, high input prices, low commodity prices — and those are just a few of the challenges farmers face. Add to that the pressure to maintain the family farm, one that gets harder with each generation. Finally, factor in that farmers, and as an extension farm families, are tough and often reluctant to talk about their feelings. We aren’t good at asking for help. 

A Proclamation on National Rural Health Day, 2022 – The White House– On National Rural Health Day, we recommit to delivering quality, affordable health care to every zip code in America by making insurance and prescription drugs more affordable, expanding mental health and substance use disorder services, and by keeping rural facilities open and staffed with dedicated doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. We have made progress, but challenges remain.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will send more than $500 million in loans and grants to telecommunications providers to bring high-speed internet to rural areas across 20 states, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday.

The department will spend $360 million in grants and $141 million in loans through its ReConnect Program to benefit sparsely populated communities, including in Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee.

Telemedicine is frequently touted as a technology tool that can help improve healthcare access for rural populations, especially in areas with physician shortages. But telemedicine might not be the silver bullet to improve rural healthcare when those same areas have significant infrastructure challenges, according to researchers. Rural counties where access to primary care physicians and psychiatrists is inadequate also have substantially lower broadband penetration rates, according to a recent research report published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., and H. Lundbeck A/S announce the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acceptance of their New Drug Application for aripiprazole 2-month, ready-to-use, long-acting injectable, a medication administered for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults and for maintenance monotherapy treatment of bipolar I disorder in adults. Aripiprazole 2-month, ready-to-use, long-acting injectable is provided in a single-chamber-type, prefilled syringe. It is intended for dosing every two months via intramuscular injection in the gluteal muscle.

A recent report from American Farmland Trust shows an alarming trend of farmland disappearing from rural America.  Angie Doucette, the Midwest farmland protection manager with American Farmland Trust, says the number of lost acres is disturbing.  She says there’s almost no chance of farmland getting put back into production once it is lost.  Doucette talks about some of the Midwest states that have lost the most farmland.

From epidemic illnesses impacting pigs to falling commodity prices to increasing farm debt load, many factors cause stress among pig farmers today. Find out how to recognize the warning signs of stress, practical ways to deal with tough times and 3 tips to get your health on track in Farm Journal’s PORK’s new e-book, “Your Guide to Mental Health.” As National Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, check out these 10 articles that tackle mental health and suicide awareness to help reduce the stigma so many experience.

Two factors that make production agriculture an ideal occupation for many farmers — working in the country and being independent — are also catalysts for a mental health crisis in rural America. Isolation and the fierce independence in agriculture create an environment where mental health issues thrive, says Oklahoma State University Extension Professor of Economics Shannon Ferrell.

“Many common factors in production agriculture tend to isolate us, physically and emotionally,” Ferrell said. Ferrell explained that late in the 2010s rural America “was on the precipice of a farm crisis that looked a lot like the 1980s.”

The mental health equivalent of 911 is about to launch across the United States, but a new study finds that many communities may not be prepared for it. Beginning July 16, a new 988 number will be available 24/7 for Americans dealing with a mental health crisis. It's akin to 911, long used to get help for medical emergencies.

The new code will replace the 10-digit number currently used to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which was established in 2005. Health officials expect the easy-to-remember 988 to spur a surge in calls. The trouble is, few jurisdictions are ready for that, according to the new study, by the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp.

To address the unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages, as part of his Unity Agenda, President Biden has put forward a comprehensive national strategy to tackle our mental health crisis, and used his State of the Union Address to call for a major transformation in how mental health is understood, accessed, treated, and integrated – in and out of health care settings. Across the federal government, the Administration has already invested nearly $4 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to expand access to mental health and substance use services. The President’s FY23 budget goes further, by proposing over $27 billion in discretionary funding and another $100 billion in mandatory funding over 10 years to implement his national strategy and transform behavioral health services for all Americans. 

This month, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking additional, new actions to advance the President’s mental health strategy across its three objectives: strengthening system capacity, connecting more Americans to care, and creating a continuum of support.

Public health researchers are trying to better understand how trauma within the profession can lead to suicidal depression, hoping for prevention programs to then target the problem. One concern is that if veterinarians don’t receive help, then the profession might go into crisis. The U.S. is already experiencing a veterinarian shortage, and an increase in psychological distress might make it worse.

Mental health is an often-overlooked challenge farmers face nationwide. Farmland loss and land access issues, rising production costs, plummeting farm incomes, climate change and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to a mental health crisis within the farming community. Suicide rates among farmers and ranchers are well above the national average, while mental health services are less available and accessible in rural areas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During a Tuesday panel discussion at HHS’ National Telehealth Conference, Morgan called the fact that rural providers’ telehealth use lags far behind that of urban providers “beyond frustrating.” His organization has found that as rural providers implement telehealth services, many are struggling to address key questions about the patients they serve: Do they have broadband access? Do they know telehealth services are available to them? Do they know how to use the technology needed to virtually connect to their caregiver?