Rural Mental Health

Accessing behavioral health services remains a significant challenge in rural Texas communities, where residents often encounter several barriers when seeking mental healthcare. Many smaller, rural communities may lack local access to medical care, housing assistance, and other non-medical support, furthering already disproportionately poorer socioeconomic outcomes.1 Additionally, there is a shortage of mental health professionals in rural Texas, leaving individuals to receive care in inappropriate settings such as jails or ERs, delaying care, or to seek support from their primary care providers who lack access to behavioral health specialist referrals. As of April 2024, nearly every county in the state is classified as either a full or partial mental health professional shortage area.2,3 Texas has made strides in expanding access through technological innovation; telehealth and telemedicine are seen as solutions to reach more rural residents, however challenges such as insufficient broadband access and digital literacy may restrict this option in many areas.4

To address the specific needs of rural Texans, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) established a Rural Mental Health team in September 2022.5 This team implements the All Texas Access initiative, offering support tailored to the unique opportunities and challenges rural communities face when accessing mental health care.6

In December 2023, HHSC released its All Texas Access annual report, reflecting significant progress in the following areas: 

  • Peer support learning collaborative: Six Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs; definition) volunteered to participate in this project and will continue into FY 2024 with five new LMHAs joining the collaborative.7
  • Community engagement pilot project: Pilot programs engaging communities in Central Texas, East Texas, and South Texas identified priorities that could guide planning and implementation of future programs.8
  • Jail diversion programs and other grants:
    • The pretrial diversion program by the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network supported 53 individuals since its inception in October 2022, with a cost offset of $145,273.
    • Center for Life Resources’ jail and pre-arrest diversion program supported 406 individuals, resulting in a cost offset of $1,112,846. 
  • LMHAs also have other non-HHSC grant-funded programs in housing assistance, prevention and education, veterans’ services, and substance use services, which positively impact rural Texans’ access to mental health and wellness services.9

In addition to state-funded initiatives, philanthropic organizations like the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, St. David’s Foundation, Texoma Health Foundation, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries have played a significant role in supporting communities to address mental health concerns in rural Texas communities.10,11,12

The Hogg Foundation has committed over $5.8 million over an eight-year period (2018-26) to support community-led, community-driven collaborative efforts in Bastrop, Brooks, Morris, Nacogdoches, and Victoria counties. The goal is to improve mental health, resilience, and well-being by leveraging community assets, talents, resources, and relationships to develop and implement upstream approaches (programs, resources, and support) for mental health and wellness initiatives tailored to local needs versus downstream approaches (what happens within the four walls of a clinic).13,14 These community-based approaches hold promise in fostering long-term sustainable and durable solutions to improve mental health outcomes for the people of rural Texas.

References

  1. Texas Department of State Health Services. (2022). 2023-2028 Texas state health plan. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/legislative/2022-Reports/Statewide-Health-Coordinating-Council-2023-2028-Texas-State-Health-Plan.pdf ↩︎
  2. Rural Health Information Hub. (April 2024). Health professional shortage areas: mental health, by county, 2024- Texas. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/charts/7?state=TX ↩︎
  3. Texas Hospital Association. (n.d.). The facts: Texas hospitals work to stabilize amid harmful mistruths. Retrieved  
    April 26, 2024, from https://www.tha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Refute-With-Facts-Whitepaper.pdf ↩︎
  4. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. (2022). Texas broadband plan 2022 [PDF]. https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/broadband/about/what/docs/broadband-plan-22.pdf ↩︎
  5. Texas Health and Human Services. (2023). All Texas access report. https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/all-texas-access-report-dec-2023.pdf ↩︎
  6. Ibid. ↩︎
  7. Ibid. ↩︎
  8. Ibid. ↩︎
  9. Ibid. ↩︎
  10. St. David’s Foundation. (2024). Community-Driven Change. Retrieved from https://stdavidsfoundation.org/how-we-work/grantmaking/funding-opportunities/community-driven-change/ ↩︎
  11. Texoma Health Foundation. (2023). Doing Mental Health Together. Retrieved from https://www.texomahealth.org/blog-posts/doing-mental-health-together ↩︎
  12. Methodist Healthcare Ministries. (July 9, 2024). MHM invests over $180 million to advance health equity across South Texas. Retrieved from https://www.mhm.org/mhm-invests-over-180-million-to-advance-health-equity-across-south-texas/ ↩︎
  13. Hogg Foundation. (n.d.) Collaborative approaches to well-being in rural communities. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/collaborative-approaches-well-being-rural-communities ↩︎
  14. Hogg Foundation. (August 2021) Hogg Foundation Awards $3.75 Million in Grants to Address Well-being in Rural Communities. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2024, from https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-awards-3-75-million-in-grants-to-address-well-being-in-rural-communities ↩︎

Updated on December 13th, 2024



To top