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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Human Health
Policy Recommendation 8:
State health and human services offices, in partnership with health care systems and providers, can educate legislators and the general public on the access to, as well as efficacy and limitations of, telehealth including the provision of behavioral health and substance use disorder services.
ment more accessible. Clients can disclose their health concerns in the privacy of their homes and those further away from behavioral health centers can receive assistance in finding the next closest brick-and-mortar facility.
Reduce the burden of child care and caregiver responsibilities by eliminating the need for clients to find child care and by allowing home caregivers relief through the use of remote monitoring technologies.
State leaders also can investigate ways to dispel myths about telehealth as a mode of mental health and chemical health care delivery.
State Examples
In Florida, Chapter 2016-240 Laws of Florida created the Telehealth Advisory Council to make recommendations about telehealth services in the state to the governor and legislature. The 15-member council represented diverse stakeholder groups.
In Nevada, Senate Bill 53 charged The Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology (OSIT) with coordinating the state’s broadband strategy (including matters relating to telehealth).2 The OSIT website aims to publicly communicate telehealth services available in Nevada for patients as well as telecommunications programs (and broadband subsidies) available for current rural providers.
Additional Resources
The Human Health Subcommittee approved this recommendation, citing a desire to develop a greater understanding of the benefits and limitations of implementing and accessing telehealth programs for all individuals, including those in need of behavioral health and substance use disorder services. The subcommittee recommends enhanced public education be implemented to achieve a greater collective understanding among the general public, legislators and key stakeholders.
Wider acceptance of telehealth is dampened by misconceptions about its appropriateness for different kinds of care, including mental health and chemical health care. But data show that this mode of health care delivery contains benefits specific to those seeking treatment. Telehealth treatment can:1
Increase access to experienced providers.
Improve the continuity of care by reducing travel time and costs which increase the likelihood that clients will show up for scheduled appointments.
Lessen potential negative impacts on employment as clients are given more flexibility with appointment scheduling.
Reduce the stigma associated with experiencing serious mental health challenges and substance use disorders while making treat-
The Council of State Governments State Leader Policy Brief: Human Health (2022) — https://web.csg.org/csghealthystates/ wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2022/05/Healthy-States-National-TaskForce-Policy-Brief-Strategies-for-Improving-Health-Equity.pdf
Annual Meeting of The Council of State Governments Southern Legislative Conference in Oklahoma City — https://web.csg.org/ csghealthystates/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2022/08/CSG-HealthyStates-National-Task-Force-Human-Health-Subcommittee-MeetingReport-July-2022.pdf
Endnotes
1 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/SAMHSA_Digital_Download/ PEP21-06-02-001.pdf
2 Neveda Governor's Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology. (n.d.). Telehealth in Rural Nevada. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://osit.nv.gov/Broadband/Telehealth/
