Access to Behavioral Health Care for Geographically Remote Service Members and Dependents in the U.S.
Abstract
Although it is a well-recognized problem in civilian and veteran populations, geographic remoteness from health care among service members and their dependents has not, until recently, received the same attention. With many service members now returning to the United States from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, concern over adequate access to behavioral health care (treatment for mental, behavioral, or addictive disorders) has risen. Anecdotal reports describe particularly difficult conditions for some service members seeking behavioral health care, as well as the tremendous difficulties faced by families of reintegrating service members who do not receive adequate behavioral health care. Yet data remain very sparse regarding how many service members (and their dependents) reside in locations remote from behavioral health providers and the resulting impact on their access to and utilization of care. Little is also known about the effectiveness of existing policies and other efforts to improve access to services among this population.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA614039
Entities
People
- Coreen A. Farris
- Dionne Barnes-proby
- Grant N. Marshall
- Harold A. Pincus
- Joshua Breslau
- Karen C. Osilla
- Katherine Pfrommer
- Phoenix Voorhies
- Ryan A. Brown
- Teague Ruder
Organizations
- RAND Corporation