Hill Country Community MHDD Centers Serving the Greater TEXAS Hill Country
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May 23, 2012

Hill Country CEO Participates in White House Rural Council
 
Linda J. Werlein, CEO of Hill Country MHDD Centers and President of the National Association for Rural Mental Health, was one of 24 rural health care providers and experts hosted by the White House Rural Council.  The attendees discussed with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration Dr. Mary Wakefield, and the Director for the Office of Rural Health of the Veteran’s Administration Dr. Mary Beth Skupien, and White House staff issues around access to care and improving health outcomes in rural communities  

Both Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Vilsack remarked that in their experience as Governors, they learned firsthand how important health care is for a vibrant rural community.  They both agree that without access to quality, affordable, health care rural communities cannot compete for growth and economic development.
 
Mrs. Werlein noted that a wide variety of challenges for rural areas was discussed during the meeting, “Some of the challenges for rural health care providers include a shortage of qualified providers in some rural and frontier areas, the integration of physical and behavioral health care, especially in areas where there are shortages of providers, ensuring that the needs of Veterans, including National Guard Members, are met when they return from deployment, and finding ways to decrease emergency room utilization for non emergency needs.”
 
While challenges were discussed, Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Vilsack also requested potential solutions to consider.  “Among the potential approaches to overcoming the challenges were expansion of the use of TeleHealth, increasing Certified Peer Support Services, broadening the scope of practice of providers such as Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, and educating communities in behavioral health areas such as Trauma Informed Care, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health First Aid as a means to help develop healthier communities.”
 
“I am honored to participate in the White House Rural Council and to carry forward the challenges faced by rural and frontier communities within Texas and throughout our nation,” said Werlein.  “Successful approaches to overcoming obstacles to health care delivery in urban areas do not always transition well to rural settings, it is important that rural health care providers maintain a presence in implementing solutions to the unique challenges they face in delivering both physical and behavioral health services.”
 
About the White House Rural Council
 
The White House Rural Council was established by an Executive Order signed by the President and is designed to address challenges in Rural America, build on the Administration’s rural economic strategy, and improve the implementation of that strategy.  The council’s three core functions are to:
  • Streamline and improve the effectiveness of Federal programs serving rural America,
  • Engage stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, and local citizens, on issues and solutions in rural communities, and
  • Promote and coordinate private-sector partnerships.
The council focuses on job creation and economic development by utilizing the following four key areas:
  • Opportunity:  Increasing the flow of capital to rural areas, job creation and workforce development,
  • Innovation:  The expansion of telecommunications, renewable energy and new markets for rural communities,
  • Quality of Life:  Increased access to quality health care, education, and housing, and
  • Conservation: including expansion of outdoor opportunities and economic growth.
About Hill Country MHDD Centers

Hill Country MHDD Centers through operation of 10 mental health clinics, a Crisis Stabilization Unit, 8 developmental disability centers, and 8 early childhood intervention centers, provides community based mental health, substance use disorder and developmental disability services throughout 19 counties of the greater Texas Hill Country by promoting independence, community integration and recovery.  Counties served by Hill Country include Bandera, Blanco, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Llano, Mason, Medina, Menard, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Uvalde, and Val Verde.

For more information on Hill Country MHDD Centers, please visit www.hillcountry.org.
 
About the National Association for Rural Mental Health

The National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) is a professional organization that serves the field of rural mental health. NARMH's membership includes the entire spectrum of the rural mental health community: consumers, family members, practitioners, administrators, educators, researchers, and policy makers.

NARMH's mission is "Linking Voices to Promote Rural Mental Health." NARMH carries out this mission through electronic (website & listserves) and print communication, an annual national conference, participation in national policy making, and special projects.

A unifying force for NARMH has been a focus on rural which includes a commitment to rural people and those that serve them. This belief that rural comes first has allowed NARMH to concentrate its efforts to improve access, availability, acceptability of mental health and substance abuse services and research in rural and frontier areas.