Advocating for the behavioral health workforce on Capitol Hill
June 18, 2026
APA’s Psychology Summer Institute fellows urge Congress to strengthen support for the Minority Fellowship Program
Our focus
-
Support policies that bolster access to behavioral health treatment and improve treatment infrastructure in rural and frontier communities.
Some progress has been made to advance innovative approaches to treatment that extend the reach of the behavioral health workforce to rural communities, including expanded access to treatment via telehealth and integrated care. However, many rural communities lack an adequate infrastructure for mental health treatment, including access to broadband services to support video telehealth access, mobile crisis units, dedicated crisis beds, and outpatient mental health clinics.
- Strengthen the workforce of psychologists in rural and frontier communities.
Over 60% of rural Americans live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas, and the specialty mental health providers are in even shorter supply in rural communities. Many rural practitioners operate in solo or small group practices facing low reimbursement for their services and high up-front costs of starting and maintaining a practice. - Support programs that bring critical mental and behavioral health resources and tools to rural and frontier communities.
Some federal programs adopt a population health-based approach to treatment by embedding resources and tools for screening and assessment within trusted institutions in rural communities. These include, but are not limited to, the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Support strategies to improve access to substance use disorder treatment in rural communities that have long been disproportionately affected by escalating opioid abuse.
According to the CDC, drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury or death in the U.S., with rates of drug overdose deaths in rural communities continuing to rise and surpass rates in urban areas. These problems are exacerbated by unique challenges for rural communities, including lack of access to behavioral health and detoxification treatment, practical barriers to access such as long travel distances to in-person clinics, and sparse distribution of prevention programs over large rural geographic areas.
Our efforts on this issue advance the following advocacy priorities:
- Access to health services, including mental and behavioral health services
- Health equity for underserved and vulnerable populations
- Health promotion and prevention throughout lifespan and settings
- Psychology workforce development across the lifespan
Rural communities face distinct behavioral health disparities that require targeted psychological attention. Prioritizing rural mental health is a matter of equity, justice, and public health.
What you can do
Related issues
Contact us
Andrew B. Strickland, JD
Senior Legislative and Regulatory Officer
Recent advocacy on rural and frontier communities
Moving forward legislation to lessen disparities in access to behavioral health care
April 21, 2026
The U.S. House of Representatives approved two key bills designed to expand health care access for rural and underserved communities
Highlighting barriers to mental health treatment among rural communities
September 18, 2025
APA Committee on Rural Health releases fact sheet on access to mental health care in rural communities
Key rural mental health program
April 29, 2024
APA Services joins rural health advocacy community in calling for funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Program