As we have noted many times, good mental health is vital for cancer victims and their families. In this post, we look at the best and worst U.S. cities for mental health care.
New Research: Best and Worst U.S. Cities for Mental Health Care
CertaPet is an online telehealth platform focusing on access to mental health care. It recently examined the quality of care in U.S. cities:
It’s no secret that the events of 2020 dredged up a slew of uncomfortable feelings like fear, sadness, anxiety, and stress for many Americans. It’s fair to say that collectively, America’s mental health has been drained from battling the deadly COVID-19 virus. Compounding things, increased isolation has prevented us from finding outlets to speak about mental health issues and seek professional help.
The deterioration of mental health in America, exacerbated by the pandemic, has prompted a new (but tired) wave of advocacy for de-stigmatization, improved access to care, and open dialogue around the unseen suffering that so many face but are afraid to admit. What’s more, this isn’t the first time Americans have cried out for the betterment of the country’s broken mental health care system.
To determine the best and worst cities for mental health care, we identified seven important ranking factors. They pertain to the accessibility and cost of mental health care. As well as the quality of life in each state. Then we assigned weights to these factors. And added up the scores for each city. The totals were compared against each other to determine our rankings.
- Therapy Session Rate by State — Weight: 2.00
- Total Prescription Charges by State — Weight: 1.75
- Mandatory Treatment Laws Grade by State — Weight: 1.00
- Criminalization of Mental Illness by State — Weight: 1.00
- Number of Residents per 1 Mental Health Provider by County — Weight: 1.50
- Poor Mental Health Days by County — Weight: 1.50
- Overall Community Wellbeing — Weight: 1.25
In tabular form, take a look at CarePet’s study highlights.
