According to research by the Des Moines Register, 57% of Iowans have had difficulty accessing quality mental health resources over the last few years. For rural Iowans in particular, about 69% say it was fairly or very difficult to access mental health services for themselves or their families.

But it's not just Iowa. We are seeing the same story across rural America. For example, a 2023 report by Mental Health America, ranked Georgia number 49 in access to mental health care and first in prevalence of mental illness.

In some areas, patients suffering from mental health crises are pushed to urgent care or emergency room facilities which are not equipped to handle that kind of problem in the short term and provide no help at all in the long term.

The National Rural Health Association lists four barriers that rural residents most commonly face:

• Accessibility. Rural folks generally have to travel farther and are less likely to have insurance that covers mental health treatments.

• Availability. Chronic doctor shortages in rural areas mean patients have access to fewer mental health professionals than those in larger metropolitan areas.
   
• Affordability. The cost of health insurance itself, the cost of services paid out-of-pocket, or the costs to travel to the doctor can all be prohibitive for some rural residents.
   
• Acceptability. Stigma among close, tight-knit communities is still a very real issue. Negative or harmful experiences with existing mental health resources and opinions of friends or family can stop mental health treatment before it begins.

The expansion of telehealth is making major inroads in the availability and effectiveness of mental health treatment. But even so, broadband internet services are less available in rural communities and can be an unaffordable luxury for some.

We are advocating for rural Americans and fighting for their mental health. Some improvements have been made, but the fight is far from over. Our elected officials in Washington must incentivize doctors and mental health professionals to practice in rural communities, expand Medicaid in every state, and enforce mental health parity among insurance providers.

Rural communities are suffering because Washington has left them behind. That's why One Country Project is standing up and demanding that Congress takes this issue seriously. Can you chip in $4 today and help us fight for the mental health of Rural Americans?

Tessa