Submitted Photo More than 60% of rural counties lack a psychiatrist and almost half do not have a psychologist, compared with 27% and 19% of urban counties, respectively. Photo from Adobe Stock.

A new report spotlighted some of the challenges to accessing behavioral health care for the one in seven Americans who live in rural areas.

Those behind the findings say there are solutions to boosting care access in states such as North Dakota.

Kendall Strong, senior policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said integrating behavioral health into primary care can help improve health outcomes and get patients the mental health and substance-use treatment they need. She pointed out just like physical health issues, if you do not tackle behavioral problems that arise, it can develop into something much more serious.

“If you are having issues with substance use, or depression, anxiety, and you let it fester, we know it gets worse,” Strong explained. “And when that happens, you often need more acute care later on. More acute care, as we know, is often more expensive.”

One of the report’s recommendations is to boost training and other resources for North Dakota’s more than 20 federally qualified health centers, which have pioneered a team-based approach to care. When patients go in for their annual medical checkup, they can also meet with mental health, dental and even vision care professionals during the same visit.

The lack of mental health professionals is one of the biggest barriers to accessing care in rural America. The report recommended strengthening workforce development programs, including the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program.

Strong emphasized providers are more likely to work in places where they get their training, and most medical schools and residencies are in cities and suburbs.

“And if you don’t practice in a rural area, if you’re not from a rural area, if you don’t live in one already, you’re less likely to train there and stay there,” Strong stressed. “So we think that allowing the program to be expanded, continued and built upon will allow more providers to train in rural areas.”

Strong said the unique challenges in states like North Dakota, such as the ripple effects in tribal areas and the noticeable percentage of military veterans, really stand out in trying to foster bipartisan support in Congress.

“We think that those ones that are specific to rural areas are helpful in that even if we’re offering them under the idea that they will help rural areas, they’re really going to help the system as a whole.”