AHRQ Innovations Exchange

AHRQ’s Innovations Exchange Focuses on Mental Health Care in Rural Settings

The latest issue of the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange features three innovation profiles describing programs that increased access and improved mental health care for individuals living in rural areas. One of the featured profiles describes a program at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, in which psychiatric fellows and residents use videoconferencing to serve children and adults with mental illness who live in rural parts of the state. Children gain access to this care by visiting any of three local mental health centers (known as community service boards), whereas adults visit local primary care and geriatric clinics. To facilitate the provision of care, the health system's Center for Telehealth offers technical support and other tools and services to participating mental health centers and clinics. The program has enabled thousands of patients with mental illness to receive psychiatric care who otherwise likely would not have had access to such care. The Innovations Exchange includes more than 825 searchable innovations, including more innovation profiles and tools related to mental health care in rural settings, and 1,525 QualityTools. 

Videoconferencing Enhances Access to Psychiatric Care for Children and Adults With Mental Illness in Rural Settings | AHRQ Innovations Exchange 

Innovations & QualityTools | AHRQ Innovations Exchange

December 04, 2013 Issue
Mental Health Care in Rural Settings This issue includes

Innovations:

• Improving Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in Rural, Older Adults
  
• Mental Health Assessments via Telemedicine for Patients in Rural EDs
• Videoconferencing Enhances Access to Psychiatric Care in Rural Settings

QualityTools:

• Rural Behavioral Health Programs and Promising Practices
• Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Rural Primary Care
• Telemental Health Guide

Next issue: End-of-Life Care Issues 

Videoconferencing Enhances Access to Psychiatric Care for Children and Adults With Mental Illness in Rural Settings | AHRQ Innovations Exchange