UROHC CCM

📄 New SAMHSA Advisory: “Expanding Behavioral Health Teams in Care Deserts With Community Health Workers and Peer Support Specialists”

Millions of Americans live in behavioral health care deserts, areas with severe shortages of mental health providers, long wait times, high costs, and other barriers. These gaps leave countless individuals without timely care for conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.

This SAMHSA advisory explores innovative, community-driven solutions to close these gaps and improve access to life-saving behavioral health services. One promising way to improve behavioral health care in areas with few services is to add more community health workers and peer support specialists.

Access this resource at: https://bit.ly/4vrS2Tj

SAMHSA

Join us for May's Substance Use Disorder Treatment ECHO! May 15 at 12:00 pm. Register here: https://utah-health.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkfuyrrzgiHtOg6u7jqBzZcHFdY5jHfu4v #/registration

USU Extension- Rural Wellness Initiative College of Pharmacy, University of Utah University of Utah College of Nursing USU Extension - HEART Wayne Community Health Center Green River Medical Center/Pharmacy Association for Utah Community Health Utah AHEC Southern Utah AHEC

💚Mental Health Awareness Month💚

Mental health conditions are medical conditions and people living with them are more than a diagnosis.

This , let’s lead with understanding.

Learn more: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health .

Join us Friday, April 17th at noon for our ECHO session!
Register here: https://utah-health.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkfuyrrzgiHtOg6u7jqBzZcHFdY5jHfu4v #/registration

USU Extension- Rural Wellness Initiative The University of Utah College of Social Work Wayne Community Health Center Green River Medical Center/Pharmacy Association for Utah Community Health

Join us Friday at noon for this amazing ECHO session! Register here: https://utah-health.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkfuyrrzgiHtOg6u7jqBzZcHFdY5jHfu4v?fbclid=IwY2xjawQlQodleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFUbFhlVHFGMDlWSTJtOEdLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrN3vo5-t0LcUwk5jiSmf8HvaiCD_91_is8QmXNuNPkeVSm3npV-Tunm07UZ_aem_xzfiiRkbtdmYu91_gSC2Tw #/registration

USU Extension- Rural Wellness Initiative Utah State University Extension USARA - Price - Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness Wayne Community Health Center Green River Medical Center/Pharmacy University of Utah College of Nursing The University of Utah College of Social Work University of Utah School of Medicine

Join us for the Integrative Primary Care & Substance Use Disorder Treatment ECHO on Friday, February 20, 2026, from 12:00–1:00 pm MT.​

This month’s session, “Addressing Rural Mental Health at the Community Level with COMET,” will be presented by Maret Felzien, MA.​

Multiple challenges face rural communities in accessing mental health care and support. COMET (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) is a community-based program designed to strengthen social connection and equip community members to respond earlier to mental and emotional health concerns.
​​
CMEs are available for this session.​

Register here: https://utah-health.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkfuyrrzgiHtOg6u7jqBzZcHFdY5jHfu4v #/registration

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Green River Medical Center/Pharmacy Wayne Community Health Center USU Extension- Rural Wellness Initiative University of Utah College of Nursing USU Extension - HEART Southern Utah AHEC Association for Utah Community Health

Join the Integrative Primary Care and Substance Use Disorder Treatment ECHO on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 12:00 pm MT for "Barriers to Routine Screening for Abuse of Older Adults in Rural Outpatient Settings" presented by Chris Gravett, LCSW.

In this presentation, the speaker will share experiences addressing abuse of vulnerable adults in Utah. In rural counties where opioid misuse is a significant and ongoing issue, resources are limited and barriers to care are substantial. These conditions raise an important question: how can vulnerable patients be better supported when systems are strained and options are few.
The speaker will draw on both research and personal experience to explore these challenges and will reflect on the factors that sustain ongoing engagement in this work, particularly when the scope of the problem feels overwhelming.

Register here to receive the Zoom link and join the discussion: https://utah-health.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkfuyrrzgiHtOg6u7jqBzZcHFdY5jHfu4v #/registration

Questions? Contact [email protected].

USU Extension- Rural Wellness Initiative University of Utah College of Nursing Association for Utah Community Health USU Extension - HEART Wayne Community Health Center The University of Utah College of Social Work Utah AHEC