Excerpt: Twenty years ago, I (Jodi Polaha) had a freshly minted PhD in Child Clinical Psychology and a strong desire to be a Mental Health Hero of Rural and Underserved Places.

A significant number of women in the United States (U.S.) are physically, sexually, or emotionally abused by a partner or former partner every year. Young adult females are most likely to experience intimate partner violence (IPV), with prevalence rates for this group double the overall average. Many of these women will experience serious physical and psychological health consequences. Despite this, IPV reporting rates are extremely low, especially among college women. In response, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and many health care organizations have recommended universal screening for all women of child-bearing age; however compliance with this recommendation remains low.

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Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is a severe and complex psychiatric condition with significant medical comorbidity. Although many patients with SMI utilize substantial healthcare resources, their healthcare outcomes are far worse than those of persons without SMI, often leading to early death. There are numerous barriers preventing these patients from obtaining optimal healthcare. The current study focused on available research emphasizing appropriate healthcare for persons with SMI who live in rural communities. The goals of the current study were to 1) to establish base rates of SMI presenting in rural primary care practices, 2) to identify and describe interventions to help individuals with SMI seek and adhere to appropriate treatment from their PCPs in rural areas, and 3) to investigate any existing interventions designed to educate or train primary care providers who serve patients with SMI, and to evaluate the effectiveness of such practices. This study involved a systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA guidelines. Results suggest that base rates of SMI in rural primary care settings have not been reported, and that there are few interventions available that are effective in increasing access to resources, adherence to treatment, and education for healthcare professionals working with patients with SMI. These findings have crucial implications for preventative healthcare screenings and medical and psychiatric interventions, yet more research is needed to determine whether these interventions could be feasible and successful for patients with SMI in rural community settings.

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Survivorship care for a patient with cancer is often complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Cancer and its treatment can have late and long-term physical and psychosocial effects. After the acute and intense period of treatment and surveillance administered by oncology teams, cancer survivors slowly transition care to primary providers. Cancer survivors then enter into an extended phase of survivorship whether they are cancer-free, in remission, or living with cancer. In this phase, symptoms related to cancer and its treatment may vary over time. Developing a care plan can facilitate the transition of care between all providers taking care of cancer patients.