Mapping Community Behavioral Health Assets

Background: In 2011, Nevada rates for persons with any mental illness were 11.3%, which is lower than the national average of 17.8%. Yet, rates of any substance, alcohol, and illicit drug use disorders were higher than the national average (12.6%, 9.9%, 3.6% vs. 9.1%, 6.8%, 2.3%). Local capacity for those with behavioral health disorders was of interest to community leaders. Rates of mental health and substance use treatment providers have previously shown that Nevada overall experiences lower rates of providers compared to national data.

Methods: An asset map consisting of behavioral health organizations within the Reno, Sparks, and Carson City area was compiled through a collaborative exercise with stakeholders called participatory asset mapping. Assets were compared to community need.

Results: A BatchGeo online mapping tool plotted behavioral health organizations and providers and includes organizational data for stakeholder use. Asset assessment revealed that while the area does seem to have adequate resources in terms of numbers of providers, providers are not serving the populations most in need (i.e., uninsured and underinsured populations).

Conclusion: Asset mapping offered a visual representation of the community’s behavioral health assets. Currently, this asset map is used by a community-wide collaboration to implement place-based solutions. It was previously assumed that there were not enough providers and that more needed to be trained. It is now also known that payment is a significant barrier, which can be better targeted now that the root causes of untreated behavioral health issues are better understood.