Long Waits and Limited Providers: Mental Health Care While on Medicaid in Appalachia
April 20, 2018
At the Beacon Barn Therapeutic Farm in Thornton, West Virginia, a typical day for Molly McCartney involves feeding horses—and seeing patients. McCartney, a clinical social worker and therapist, opened her practice in a barn in her Appalachian community as a way to combine her passion for animals with a desire to help people. But McCartney is only one of a handful of therapists in her area—an issue that is pervasive across Appalachia, a region with limited options for individuals seeking mental health care. For patients who use Medicaid, the options narrow even further.