Healthy Children and Families: Reducing Behavioral Health Disparities in Rural and Frontier Areas

Rural and small town communities are home to over 60 million Americans. Persistent poverty, geographic isolation, socio-economic status, educational status, health risk behaviors, and limited job opportunities contribute to health disparities in rural communities and impact the behavioral health outcomes of children and their families.

It is likely that long-standing barriers to mental health services contribute to disparities, these include stigma, cultural differences, and insufficient mental health infrastructure. Many in states and communities are working to diminish these disparities and keep rural America's rural children healthy and strong. This call focusse on strategies in States to improve conditions that lead to enhanced quality of, and access to behavioral/mental healthcare services and supports for children and families in rural and frontier America.