Reducing disparities in access to care among rural and frontier communities

On September 19, 2023, APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, joined USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, JD, and American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, as the only mental health organization invited to speak at an event focused on developing partnerships to address suicide in farm communitiesopens in new window. The event was hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Evans’s remarks highlighted the unique challenges facing rural communities and the need for a population-based approach to expanding access to care. The event also featured a series of videos produced by the Mississippi State Extension Serviceopens in new window that highlighted the unique social and economic stressors experienced in farming communities. APA Services staff also met with several officials from the USDA and networked with rural health advocates.

APA Services and the Rural Health Section of APA’s Division 31 (State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs) also announced the launch of a series of events highlighting challenges and solutions to accessing mental and behavioral health care in rural and frontier communities. The virtual inaugural event will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern time, and will feature remarks from Diane M. Hall, PhD, MSEd (director, Office of Rural Health, CDC) and Tom Morris, MPA (associate administrator for Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration). APA Services invites all members to join, and those interested in attending can register onlineopens in new window.

For more information, contact Andrew Strickland.