Accessible Mental Healthcare: How CHCs are Helping a National Crisis

Mental health is a frequent topic of discussion in the United States today. It’s clear that the need for accessible mental healthcare is greater than possibly any other time in history, but many question how to achieve this goal. Let’s explore the state of mental health in the U.S. and how CHCs are in a position to help.

What is the state of mental health in the United States?

According to a 2022 survey from CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation, 90% of US adults asked believe that our country is experiencing a mental health crisis. There are a multitude of reasons why we are facing such mental health difficulties. We are just getting past a pandemic that completely shifted life as we once knew it for nearly two years, isolating individuals from their communities and turning daily lives upside down. We face a persistent opioid crisis that affects not only those who are addicted, but also their families. Today’s kids not only face bullying in the school setting, but often also online in a way that invades their home life.

It’s no wonder that in 2020, 21% of adults in the United States experienced a mental health condition. What’s worse is that there is currently a shortage of mental health professionals, with it being estimated that for every 350 individuals in need of services, only one provider was available. On top of the provider shortage, cost is also a factor with 42% of U.S. adults with a diagnosable mental health condition reporting in 2023 that they couldn’t afford to access needed treatment. This cost issue is made worse by the fact that 20.8% of individuals facing housing insecurity have a serious mental condition.

All of this to say that, obviously, the state of mental health in the United States isn’t good. Individuals at all socioeconomic levels are struggling, but for those who are most vulnerable to financial distress they also struggle to access care. For many, community health centers have provided an answer.

How can community health centers help?

Community health centers provide access to needed care by reducing barriers such as distance, lack of insurance, language, and cost. These centers are often located in low-income areas, and provide care including primary care, pediatrics, dentistry, and mental health services.

By positioning themselves in these areas, CHCs bring much needed access to the most vulnerable populations in our country. These centers take public insurance as well as offering care on a sliding fee scale to make necessary care affordable so that all individuals have access.

Moving forward, CHCs can explore the use of telehealth to provide mental healthcare in order to reach an even wider population. Even with CHCs being placed in communities where they are most needed, transportation can still be an issue. Additionally, not all CHCs have mental health practitioners at their locations, so utilizing telehealth can help to extend that care reach to individuals in communities that don’t currently have mental health available at their local CHC.

At MicroMD, we understand how vital it is for the healthcare industry as a whole to work together toward easing the mental health crisis happening in America right now. From primary care providers conducting screenings to those who are actually providing the treatment, we support all practitioners in this task.

We are proud to offer our simple, customizable, and connected MicroMD EMR with its behavioral health functionality. We also offer a robust telehealth platform through medpod to help clinicians extend their care reach further than ever before.

To learn more or get started, visit micromd.com or call 1-800-824-6632 today.