More than 113,000 Native Americans and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) live in 492 counties without mental health providers, according to a new GoodRx report.
More than 90% of these areas are in rural areas of the United States, where medical resources are already limited, the report said.
“In fact, for every 30,000 people living in these counties, there is not one psychiatrist or psychologist,” said Amanda Nguyen, health economist at GoodRx.
Nguyen said mental health access is lacking in the South-Central, Midwest, and Alaska regions of the United States. These regions include Texas (30 mental health desert counties), Kansas (13 counties), Oklahoma (8), Nebraska (8), and Alaska (7), which have the highest rates of mental health desertification. . In addition to Alaska (11,171), South Dakota (14,650) is one of the regions with the highest number of AI/AN residents living in the mental health desert.
“It’s important to note that our analysis focused on psychiatrists and psychologists because they can diagnose mental disorders and prescribe medications,” she added. , did not consider the critical mental health care and support that social workers, primary care physicians, and traditional healers may provide to these communities.
The report also found limited access to telemedicine services due to insufficient broadband access. This can help mental health resources.
“Generally speaking, rural communities likely lack access to both traditional healthcare infrastructure and telemedicine, which has become more popular during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for mental health providers. ‘ said Nguyen.
“If you live in a rural area with limited broadband internet access, access to mental health care can be difficult, as broadband is often required to deliver care via video or online calls.”
The study found that counties with higher populations of AI/AN residents had lower percentages of households with all forms of broadband access, she said. For example, the majority (94%) of counties with more than 50% of her AI/AN residents, such as Apache County in Arizona, have broadband access below the national average.
“For those seeking mental health guidance and support, the internet is a valuable resource and often the quickest,” Nguyen said. “Without broadband access, mental health care becomes more difficult to access, and if psychiatrists and psychologists switch to only providing his care online, people may be left without services. .”
While most Indian Health Service (IHS) clinics and hospitals provide free services to tribal members and are located on reservations, U.S. Census data shows that AI/AN-identified 87% of the people live outside the tribal areas.
“This is not always feasible for all Native American/Alaskan Natives to find accessible, affordable, high-quality, culturally appropriate, and meeting their needs mental health care. As a result, they may abandon care altogether,” she said. .
Nguyen hopes this research will raise awareness of the mental health disparities facing the AI/AN community and lead to more solutions to support access to mental health care.
close the window
republish this article
Report: 113,000 Native Americans live in the mental health care desert
detailGoodRx new report.
More than 90% of these areas are in rural America, where medical resources are already limited.
“In fact, there are less than one psychiatrist or psychologist for every 30,000 people living in these counties,” said GoodRx health economist Amanda Nguyen.
< p>Nguyen said access to mental health is lacking in the South-Central, Midwest, and Alaska regions of the United States. Okra homa (8), Nebraska (8), and Alaska (7) are regions with the highest rates of mental health desertification. Along with Alaska (11,171), South Dakota (14,650) is one of the regions with the highest number of AI/AN residents living in the mental health desert.
“It’s important to note analyzes that focus on psychiatrists and psychologists because of their ability to diagnose mental health disorders and prescribe medications,” she added. It failed to consider the critical mental health care and support that primary care physicians, primary care physicians, and traditional healers provide to these communities.”
The report also found inadequate broadband access. Restricted access to telehealth services may benefit mental health resources.
“Generally speaking, rural communities are likely to be inaccessible to both traditional healthcare infrastructure and telehealth during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for mental health providers,” Nguyen said. increase.
“If you live in a rural area with limited broadband internet access, access to mental health care can be difficult, as broadband is often required to deliver care via video or online calls. ”
The study found that counties with higher populations of AI/AN residents had lower percentages of households with all forms of broadband access, she said. For example, in the majority (94%) of counties with an AI/AN population greater than 50% of her population, such as Apache County in Arizona, broadband access is below the national average.
“The internet is a valuable resource and often the quickest resource for those seeking mental health guidance and support,” Nguyen said. “If psychiatrists and psychologists switch to online-only care delivery, people may be left without services.”
Most Indian Health Services (IHS) clinics and hospitals are located on the reservation, providing services free of charge to tribe members.According to US Census data, 87% of people who identify as AI/AN live outside tribal areas.
“This means that it is not always feasible for all Native Americans/Alaska Natives. Accessible, affordable, high-quality, culturally Finding the right mental health care can result in them completely forgetting about care,” she said.
Access to health care that this research raises awareness of the mental health disparities facing the AI/AN community and leads to more solutions to support men.
thisarticle teeth The Daily Yonder Originally posted on and republished here under a Creative Commons license.
1