Mental Health Services

A survey of rural policymakers and service providers revealed that meeting Healthy People 2010 objectives in the area of mental health was considered one of the most pressing goals for rural communities (Gamm & Hutchison, 2003). However, despite increasing attention to the problem, there is a significant gap in knowledge about what public policies are most effective in achieving these goals and, more importantly, how licensure and public payment policies may interact to inhibit or promote increased availability of mental health services in rural areas. This study therefore, seeks to identify variations in state licensure and payment or coverage polices, examine the effect of these variations on the availability of mental health services in rural areas (particularly the combined effect of these policies on the availability of mental services in rural areas), and finally, submit policy recommendations for both rural stakeholders and state policymakers.