The Mental Health Crisis in Rural Minnesota – News – Granite Falls Advocate Tribune

The burden of mental health in rural Minnesota has become increasingly prevalent. In 2005, the Minnesota Department of Health reported that rates of depression among women living in rural counties were 40%, while rates were only 13 to 20% in urban counties. In recent years, a report published by the Minnesota Hospital Association indicated that between 2007 and 2014, the emergency department had increased 40% in cases of mental illness in Greater Minnesota, compared with only 34% in twin cities .

Untreated mental illness is a public health problem because it can lead to debilitating and costly conditions such as substance abuse, homelessness and incarceration. In addition, there are times when rural counties are struggling to respond to a mental health crisis due to limited resources.

This chaos is generally attributed to the lack of hospital beds available in psychiatric facilities. Yet, there are too many times that mental health crises could and should have been avoided. In fact, mental illness can often be managed with access to the right combination of treatment, such as behavioral therapy and psychotropic medication. However, recent findings from the SAMHSA suggest that about half of Minnesotans with mental illness do not receive treatment.

The Treatment Gap in Rural Minnesota?

First, it is important to recognize that barriers to receiving mental health treatment are often intensified in rural Minnesota. For example, a patient with a mental illness may experience significant social stigma to obtain services, have a greater distance to travel and experience increased waiting times for an appointment with a provider of services. confidence

The shortage of psychiatrists in rural Minnesota is a major concern that deserves immediate attention. Recent data from the Minnesota Department of Health indicate that 9 of the 11 regions of the state of Minnesota, all outside of the twin cities, have been designated Shortage Areas of Health Professionals (HSPAs) . This means that these regions have a population-to-psychiatrist ratio greater than 35,000 versus 1.

Unfortunately, this shortage can not be simply changed with a biconical approach because there are long-standing forces that are closely related to this problem. In a recent review, insufficient wages, an aging workforce and competing policy priorities were listed as some of the many factors contributing to the lack of behavioral health professionals. Although existing policies and programs, such as the Minnesota Rural Physician's Forgiveness program, attempt to address this shortage, these approaches do not always ensure that a psychiatrist will remain in a rural community for the long term.

Telepsychiatry

Telepsychiatry, which allows patients to obtain psychiatric services from a provider at a remote location through technologies such as video consultations, has been proven to be effective. The effectiveness of this shortage. The Minnesota Telemedicine Act of 2015 has already increased the availability of psychiatrists in rural Minnesota by requiring parity so that reimbursement and coverage for telepsychiatry must be equivalent to face-to-face interactions for Medicaid, Minnesota Care and commercial health plans. However, restrictions such as a patient having to continue services on a site of origin exist. Specifically, a patient may still have to travel a significant distance to continue telepsychiatry services in a designated "spoken" site.

Overcoming Obstacles

The elimination of the original site would encourage patients to seek treatment by offering them the option of continuing telepsychiatry services in the comfort of their own homes. For example, Washington legislation now allows patients to choose where they receive telemedicine services. Expanding the scope of telepsychiatry also helps remove barriers that often prevent Minnesota from accessing mental health services, such as transportation. In addition, this approach would offset the costs associated with untreated mental illness crises downstream.

Many of the most vulnerable populations in our state are in rural Minnesota, where access to psychiatrists is limited. Given the shortage of psychiatric staff and the growing demand for mental health services in rural Minnesota, the Minnesota Legislature should act now and expand access to telepsychiatry in these areas. . The removal of the site's requirement is an immediate step that our legislature can take to improve access to mental health services for patients when and where they need them.