EXCERPT: “Although the number of hospitals and health care facilities continue to decline in rural America, more rural residents are able to access mental health services and are more open to talking about opioid addiction, a new poll funded by the American Farm Bureau Federation found. Morning Consult did the national poll in October 2022, and talked to 2,010 rural residents and found several positive trends on opioid use. Perhaps some of the most striking information was found regarding the availability of health care services in rural areas and, in particular, mental health services. Rural residents who responded to the poll said it is easier in 2022 to access mental health treatment compared to 2017. ‘Thinking about their local community, rural adults say it is easier in 2022 than in 2017 to access mental health treatment (+6 percentage points) and primary care treatment (+11),’ according to the poll results.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3Wg7MX0
