University of Virginia School of Nursing: Southeastern Rural Mental Health Research Center

Improving the availability and quality of mental health care for rural, impoverished, minority individuals.

The overall mission of the Southeastern Rural Mental Health is to improve the quality of mental health care for rural, impoverished individuals in the South. SRMH faculty are working to develop the capacity of the rural mental health service delivery system and rural mental health researchers through development of partnerships with consumers and rural health care providers, engaging in community-based research, development of interdisciplinary research teams, and investigator development all facilitated by “state of the art“ communications technology.

The center began in 1992 with funding from NIMH as a public-academic liaison (PAL) mental health service research center focused on the rural Southeast, with this funding ending in 2000. Center faculty developed a strong portfolio of research documenting unmet need for mental health care, the poorly resourced mental health system in the rural Southeast, and individual and community level factors that contributed to under treatment of rural dwellers. One outcome of this research is the defacto model of Rural Mental Health Services Research which depicts the fragmentation of the mental health service delivery system, the influence of population and rural environmental characteristics on the care system, portals of entry and outcomes of treatment. A particular emphasis of our research is impoverished rural minority populations and the development of culturally acceptable mental health care services. Center faculty have a commitment to a strong consumer perspective that guides our evaluation of existing practice environments, the development of interventions, as well as a commitment to recognizing and supporting informal care. Studies used state of the science qualitative and quantitative methods, and included primary data collection studies as well as the use of large nationally representative secondary data sets.

Currently SRMH is conducting two studies Mental Health Treatment for Rural Poor and Minorities (Dr. Hauenstein, PI) and Impact of Shortages of Professionals on Health Outcomes (Dr. Merwin, PI). More detail about these research programs are available elsewhere on this webpage.

In 2006 we began seeking funding for the next step in our overall mission. By using the strengths existing in rural communities and health care agencies and through participatory action and other community-based research mechanisms we will develop and test specific strategies to foster the delivery of evidence-based mental health treatments in both the formal and informal mental health services delivery system. Here we will call on community members and well as professionals to design mental health care that is acceptable and accessible within the local economy and delivery system. In addition to our well-established interdisciplinary research team we have partnered with basic scientists in other disciplines to develop theory-based, practice-oriented research that explains individual, community, and organizational change. Center faculty members are building on our expertise in communications and other technology to foster interaction with providers and researchers in distance sites. We are further testing different platforms for the delivery of mental health care (see our page on e-Screening).

Community Collaborators -

Email: srmhrc@virginia.edu

The University of Virginia School of Nursing
McLeod Hall, PO Box 800782
Charlottesville VA 22908-0782
Phone: (434) 924-2744
Fax: (434) 982-3275

Southeastern Rural Mental Health Research

Contact Us

Recognitions