Rural health: Strengthening access to health services

Health issues include not only access to primary health care (although this is the most frequently identified issue) , but also the availability of physical health specialists, mental health services, substance abuse assessment and treatment, and emergency services among other issues. The new Healthy People 2020 goals encompass health across this broad spectrum of issues. While ensuring the health of all persons is important, it is critical that health issues among those living in rural or remote areas be considered separately to address issues that provide unique challenges for ensuring health in these areas. Rural areas of the U.S. are often have a greater proportion of persons from racial and ethnic minorities including American Indians, persons living in poverty and elders who are limited in their ability to access care. Issues of transportation, availability of qualified professionals, the “rural culture”, stigma of receiving services, poor access to health information (among others) all play a unique role in ensuring access to health services in rural areas. Given these challenges, it is incumbent upon public health social workers to develop greater capacity in rural areas to address these needs. Establishing or strengthening networks among rural and urban providers, building a technology infrastructure to allow for professionals to use their expertise, and building transportation networks are among a few of the potential steps to building greater health care capacity in these areas. This poster presentation will identify these critical issues as well as suggest capacity building strategies.