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The APA has identified rural health as a priority and has developed an APA
Committee on Rural Health, which resides in the Practice Directorate. The
objective of the APA Rural Health Initiative is to ensure that the behavioral
healthcare needs of rural and frontier Americans are met. Through the establishment
of the Committee on Rural Health (CRH), the APA has committed resources
to addressing the behavioral healthcare needs of individuals residing in
rural and frontier areas. In almost all rural and frontier areas, healthcare
practitioners, services and infrastructure are in short supply. The population
is small and is disproportionately older. These areas have low household
incomes, relatively high unemployment rates and high poverty rates. Unfortunately,
they also have a high proportion of the population that lacks health insurance
or has inadequate coverage. Providing behavioral healthcare services to
rural residents is further complicated by the presence of stigma. Members
of the CRH and staff members of the Practice Directorate work in conjunction
with State Psychological Associations, Federal and State Agencies, National
Organizations with an interest in rural populations, and the U.S. Congress
and State Legislatures to advance the cause of improved behavioral healthcare
for rural Americans.
Over the years, the Committee on Rural Health has written and/or sponsored
the development of several books and numerous papers concerning training
in rural mental health and delivery of rural mental health services. You
can obtain this information by clicking on our links to relevant articles
and bibliographies.
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