Rural Futures With Dr. Connie

It is estimated that 18.7% of residents of nonmetropolitan counties had some sort of mental illness in 2016 — more than 6.5 million people. In addition, 1.3 million (3.9%) residents of nonmetro counties experienced serious thoughts of suicide during the year. In Nebraska, 88 of the state's 93 counties are recognized as mental health professional shortage areas by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Connie is proud to host Howard Liu, M.D.,  Interim Chair of Psychiatry and Director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, to address the critical area of mental health care access for rural communities. As one of the only organizations of its kind in the United States, BHECN works as a skunkworks to solve the wicked problem — a critical shortage of mental health providers in the highest underserved areas of the state. He also addresses the signs and signals of mental health illness we should all be aware of and emphasizes t