Rural Children Don't Receive the Mental Health Care They Need

Date
01/2009
Description

Just over one-third of all children with a mental health problem received a mental health visit in the past year. Controlling for other characteristics that affect access to care, rural children are 20% less likely to have a mental health visit than urban children. Having Medicaid or SCHIP increases the likelihood that a child will receive services, and this is pronounced in rural areas.

Center
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Authors
David Lambert, Erika Ziller, Jennifer Lenardson