Rapid Growth of Mental Health Services at Community Health Centers

Community Health Centers (CHCs) target medically underserved communities and expanded by 70% in the last decade. We know little, however, about mental health services at CHCs. We analyzed data from 2006 to 2015 and determined county-level drivers of these services. Mental health patients at CHCs fall from 2006 to 2007 but then rise consistently from 2007 to 2015. Counties with fewer physicians, greater percent insured and greater percent white population show faster growth in mental health services. Increases in mental health services at CHCs outpace general CHC growth and reflect federal efforts to integrate behavioral health care into primary care.