The big, not beautiful, mental health care gap in rural Minnesota

As Claire Carpenter put it Monday, the mental health care needs of Minnesotans go well beyond the capacity of providers.

The shortage is especially pronounced in rural Minnesota, said Carpenter, a Mankato therapist who specializes in adult trauma and women’s health. “Therapists in rural Minnesota are few and far between,” she said. “It’s hard to find therapists, period.”

Carpenter and other southern Minnesota mental health providers spoke in Owatonna as part of “Rural Voice,” a series of town halls on rural issues. Minnesota Public Radio host and “Rural Voice” co-founder Kerri Miller moderated the discussion, which covered provider shortages, patient wait times and the impending loss of Medicaid funds for rural clinics and hospitals.

The following is a breakdown of some questions raised