Access to universal healthcare is a basic human right, and yet one in four adults with a mental illness reports unmet treatment needs, according to Mental Health America.
The NPO’s 2025 findings paint a grim picture of millions of people lacking adequate access due to being uninsured or missing preventative visits. More shocking is that statistically, each provider serves 320 patients, demonstrating the shortage in the mental health workforce.
To say that mental healthcare is lacking in the U.S. is a huge understatement.
Federal Medicaid Cuts
A few weeks ago, Stateline reported that 126 hospitals nationwide closed their inpatient psychiatric units between 2023 and 2024.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, the impact is serious. If more units are forced to shut down, it will lead to overcrowding in emergency rooms and prisons.
Medicaid currently pays for about 25% of all mental health and substance use treatments. Since the “One Big Beautiful Act,” federal funding will be cut by 15% over 10 years.
Once again, these policies restrict access to resources in already underserved communities. What are the options where facilities are sparse or nonexistent?
Adoption of Telehealth
Telehealth was sold as the solution to equitable access to mental health services in rural areas.
It was hailed as closing access gaps, however new research has revealed otherwise. A study published in JAMA Network Open upended this theory, showing that greater telehealth uptake resulted in small increases in mental health visits in rural communities.
Researchers used data from the Medicare fee-for-service program to determine mental health specialists.
In areas with the most telehealth, visits from patients living 20+ miles away rose by 5.1%. In places using the least telehealth, the increase was just 1.3%. Specialists in high-telehealth areas saw a very small increase (0.12%) in visits from patients in mental health shortage spaces.
The study concluded that adjusted policy interventions are needed for telemedicine to reach its potential in underserved communities.
Nurses Bridging the Gap
Nurse practitioners (NPs) have long played a crucial part in addressing the gap.
Psychiatric mental health nurses, in particular, provide holistic, patient-centered care, according to Psychiatric Times. Treatment is affordable and accessible, helping improve care in rural areas, but there still aren’t enough mental health professionals to meet the need.
This is where newly qualified registered nurses (RNs) fill the void. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs teach mental health as a core component of their curriculum.
Most students choose hybrid accelerated nursing programs to gain adequate clinical hours and theory work. The coursework is 100% online and includes hands-on skills training. Accelerated BSN programs (ABSN) fast-track the opportunity to qualify as a BSN-prepared nurse in 15 months.
Plus, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine notes that some hybrid BSN programs are specifically designed for students who already have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
Social Work Training Programs
Kansas recently launched a training program for Master of Social Work students to help address mental health workforce shortages.
Funded through 2029, it prepares graduates to deliver quality care in rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and beyond.
The program has already shown strong results. Since 2014, it has supported over 300 graduates, most of whom now serve rural and underserved communities across Kansas. Trained graduates provide high-quality services in rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) throughout Kansas and beyond.
The next four years will produce 48 MSW students and supervisors to boost mental healthcare. Training sites will be set up at rural clinics. These community partnerships encourage teamwork across professions.
It’s a win-win for patients and career growth.
Social Work Training Programs
Telehealth platforms and smartphone apps were once a reasonable alternative to accessing traditional services. But as previously stated, the uptake of telemedicine is less than stellar.
The American Psychological Association warns that socioeconomic barriers and access to reliable internet are real issues. Some digital tools lack cultural adaptations based on the target group for treatment.
These innovations could unintentionally widen existing disparities in access, adoption, and efficacy for underserved communities.
There is a workaround, and the association devised several recommendations. One of them is that researchers should use a variety of methods to understand real-world situations. This might explain how and why digital health tools are used, and what might be getting in the way.
Finding Common Ground
Patients desire physical meetings in a space that feels safe and non-judgmental. Telehealth and digital tools don’t tick all those boxes… yet. Small adaptations could soon change this.
In the meantime, patients need professionals who walk them through their treatments and tell them they have as much right to resources as the next person.
