Final Project
Healthcare Admin Capstone
Final Submission
Comprehensive Program Proposal
September 26, 2021 Carrie Ferrell
Southern New Hampshire University
Final Project
Improving Mental Health Care Access in Rural Areas
Introduction
Problem Statement
Rural areas often experience a lack of quality healthcare access especially when it comes
to mental health providers. Rural residents can encounter multiple barriers in their quest for
healthcare which can limit their ability to find and access the care they need. Barriers include
the financial means to pay, transportation, health understanding and literacy, workforce
shortages, and the stigma associated with mental health or substance abuse conditions.
"Approximately one-fifth of the US population live in a rural area, and about one-fifth of those
living in rural areas, or about 6.5 million individuals, have a mental illness. Though the
prevalence of serious mental illness and most psychiatric disorders is similar between US adults
living in rural and urban areas, adults residing in rural geographic locations receive mental health
treatment less frequently and often".[CITATION Rur19 \p 2 \l 1033 ] Due to this lack of access
in our facility, this proposal advises an incentive program be established to entice providers to
this area. This program can also include outreach and incentive offerings to those who establish
themselves as a patient in the mental health program. This will help to address the healthcare
shortage as well providing an incentive to address those disparities within the vulnerable areas of
the population that need access to mental health services. These disparities include age, race, and
ethnicity.
Overview of the Issue
Rural areas within the United States experience a major lack of access to mental health
care particularly specialty mental health care. "It is estimated that as many as 65% of
nonmetropolitan counties do not have psychiatrists, and over 60% of rural Americans live in
Final Project
designated mental health provider shortage areas".[ CITATION Rur19 \1 1033 ] This lack of
mental health care in rural or densely populated areas can lead to communities having to do
without or travel a great distance to utilize mental health care. Besides the lack of providers,
there are other cultural and environmental factors that lead to disparities in mental health services
in rural communities. There are several factors that shape the culture within a rural population
which impacts it's overall view on mental health services. These factors include "low population
density and remoteness, isolation, poverty, religion, social support, and stigma". [ CITATION
Rur19 \l 1033 ] Also crucial to limiting an individual's access to treatment and utilization of
professional services include "factors such as lack of transportation, higher poverty rates, and
varied insurance coverage".[CITATION Rur19 \p 3 \l 1033 ]
This mental health treatment disparity has multiple reasons including limited access to
providers as well limited availability of specialty mental health care in rural areas, a lack of
trained mental health providers in rural medical care, and an overall underutilization of services
that are available. Also, while urban areas experience a consistent rise in finding new approache