New behavioral health clinic focusing on rural communities opens doors in Mankato

A new clinical space opened at University Square near Minnesota State University, Mankato's campus this week. A crowd of about 50 people gathered inside Wednesday evening for a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The Rural Behavioral Health Clinic will provide in-person mental health counseling, case and medication management for patients of all ages. It will serve patients enrolled in public programs, have commercial health insurance or are uninsured.

It's designed to serve Minnesota's south-central region: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Watonwan and Waseca counties.

MSU Mankato President Dr. Edward Inch told the gathering the facility is "very special."

"It has every opportunity for this to grow and serve needs that have been underserved for so long, and to prepare students and professionals to serve those needs through their careers," Inch said. "That doesn't happen randomly. It happens through a lot of hard and dedicated work."

A full-time therapist at the clinic will supervise three graduate students from MSU Mankato. Then, starting at the end of February, a social worker case manager will also supervise two graduate students from the university. Eventually, the clinic wants to add a licensed social worker who'll supervise social work master's level students to provide therapy services.

Jasmine Boots, a graduate student at MSU Mankato, works at the clinic. She said she hopes to provide care in a rural setting upon graduation. She has learned more about the disparities in health equity in rural areas due to challenges accessing services and provider shortages.

"This kind of program really tries to funnel qualified people into areas that maybe don't have the amount of providers they need," Boots said. "So, it's really awesome to be able to be a part of this and to kind of help work to reduce some of those barriers to care."

A demand for services

About 80 percent of Minnesota counties are considered mental health service shortage areas, according to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Dr. Brett Hart, vice president for behavioral health and mental health parity with the company said only about 5 percent of counselors practice in rural settings and only about 2 percent practice in areas considered highly isolated rural settings.

"There is a significant access need, and we believe that when individuals need that care, and they're facing barriers, like transportation, distance, there needs to be options for them," Hart said. "This is really, I think, an answer to those needs that we're seeing here before us."

There's already a demand for services at the new facility said clinic manager Addie Evans. Currently, staff are serving about 20 patients free of charge while it is undergoing the credentialing process.

"Our clinic is just the first step," she said. "We know that folks in rural communities face many barriers to access, and so we really hope to innovate our services. Brick and mortar clinics may not be what the rural community needs in the end, and so we are willing to be flexible and learn what our rural community needs."

Therapists for the future

While serving as a community-based outpatient mental health center, the clinic also acts as an academic training center for students enrolled at MSU Mankato's training programs in social work, College of Allied Health and Nursing.

Dean Dr. Patricia Marincic said students will come from counseling and student personnel, alcohol and drug studies, psychology and nursing programs.

"We are going to be in the space, and we will have students training side by side with experienced faculty and clinicians," she said. "And by doing that, while we're doing this, it's a model program to really serve the needs of the community while we're training the future providers in this space, this is a very interprofessional opportunity."

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral health director Dr. Darcie Davis-Gage said part of the challenge is to retain and recruit mental health professionals to work in rural areas. She believes the work at the clinic can encourage students to practice in their hometowns and introduce opportunities to provide health care in rural settings.

"Part of it is helping students to see all the different ways and opportunities that they can be involved in rural communities," Davis-Gage said. "Helping rural communities to understand these are some different ways that we can do mental health. We don't have to do it the way it's always been done."

John Connolly of the Minnesota Department of Human Services represented Gov. Tim Walz's office at the ribbon cutting. He cited a 2023 Center for Rural Policy and Development report that showed 82 percent of licensed mental health professionals practiced in the metro area, leaving rural areas significantly underserved.

"The shortage is compounded by financial barriers, stigma surrounding mental illness and behavioral health needs and limited access to services and insurance coverage," Connolly said. "These challenges underscore the urgent need for innovative solutions, like the one we're celebrating today. I want to congratulate everybody involved. It truly is a wonderful partnership."

MSU Mankato and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota announced in September that the clinic would open during the 2024-2025 academic year. The Rural Behavioral Health Clinic, located at MSU Mankato, is part of the university's College of Allied Health and Nursing.

The health insurer pledged $5 million in support of the facility, and the pledge followed a state legislature allocation in spring 2023 of $1.5 million to establish the clinic, as well as $1 million in approved federal funding.