The United States is currently experiencing a healthcare workforce shortage that is expected to worsen in the coming years. The problem was also exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated many of the contributing factors.
While the workforce shortage is a nationwide issue, rural and remote areas across America are being hit the hardest. Statistics reveal that over 60% of rural Americans live in designated mental health provider shortage areas.
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This is all happening amid a mental health crisis, which is impacting youth in particular. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of adolescents reporting poor mental health is rising. Other significant statistics include:
- 4 in 10 (40%) of students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
- 2 in 10 (20%) of students seriously considered attempting suicide.
- Nearly 1 in 10 students had attempted suicide.
The same data also reveals that some groups are more at risk than others, such as female students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students across racial and ethnic groups. These figures highlight the importance of accessible mental health services, like counselling, in schools.
For students living in rural areas, accessing these services may have been hard in the past, but now, thanks to online school counseling programs, even the most remote students can get the mental health assistance they need.
What is virtual healthcare?
Supporting one of our most vulnerable demographics - school students - from afar begins with virtual healthcare. Virtual healthcare is a broad umbrella term that describes any healthcare services and tools that are provided through digital channels. Some common examples include:
- Telehealth
- Wearable sensors
- Electronic medical records
- AI chatbots
- Self-help apps
The most common form of virtual healthcare is telehealth appointments. Telehealth (or telemedicine) allows a healthcare professional, such as a doctor, counselor, or psychologist, to provide their services by phone or video call.
Statistics from the CDC reveal that in 2021, 37% of adults used a telemedicine service within 12 months. The technology is revolutionizing the way that healthcare services are provided and received, allowing anyone to access care from anywhere.
Since 2021, the use of telemedicine services has skyrocketed. According to a Rock Health report published in 2023, four in five (80%) of people have used a telemedicine service at least once.
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The benefits of digital counseling
Virtual healthcare tools have revolutionized the entire medical industry and transformed how mental health services are provided. Below is a list outlining some of the benefits of digital counseling through virtual appointments.
- Improved accessibility: Telehealth extends access to care, allowing counselors to provide their services to clients regardless of distance. This is what makes it possible to support students from afar and in rural areas.
- Comfort and convenience: Counseling and other forms of mental health services can be confronting at the best of times. With telehealth, clients can access the services from the comfort of their own home, which can improve quality of life and client satisfaction.
- Disease control: Telehealth played a crucial role in the pandemic, preventing the spread of the disease as counseling services were hosted through virtual conferences. Now, it is still an effective tool for disease control and providing services to people with an illness.
The rise of telehealth
One study reports that before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was underused and understudied. After the pandemic broke out, within the first three months alone, telehealth encounters increased by 766%.
Data reveals that telehealth appointments accounted for 35.3% of all medical appointments in the United States in 2020. While telehealth technology has been around for decades, it has only been widely adopted by the healthcare industry in the past five years.
The use of telehealth and other virtual healthcare tools isn't just limited to primary care providers and mental health services. Many allied health professions have also adopted these tools to improve their quality of care. For example, electronic prescriptions have become commonplace in pharmacies.
The importance of online treatment
Data from the 2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report reveal that nearly 20% of children and young people ages 3-17 in the US have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder.
Over the past decade and a half, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of diagnosed childhood mental illness in the country. One study found that from 2012 to 2018, there was a 34.6% increase in the prevalence of mental illness among children.
These figures are especially disconcerting considering the healthcare workforce shortage and the mental health crisis. As of March 2023, over 160 million Americans, including children, live in areas with mental health professional shortages.
A report from The Commonwealth Fund reveals that over 8,000 professionals are required to ensure an adequate supply of mental health services across the country. While it won't solve the shortage, online treatment options, such as telehealth counseling, can help mitigate its negative impact.
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Telehealth plays a vital role in providing people, especially those in rural areas who can't access mental health services otherwise, with care and effective treatment.
The best part? Telehealth is actively breaking down barriers for our most vulnerable communities to receive support from afar, such as remote school students and people living with mobility issues.
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