Some potential points to spur discussion:
- Counties can present structural as well as economic barriers to mental health and
substance abuse center establishments seeking to locate there. For example, the presence
of potential patients may not be enough to remain a viable business. Instead these
establishments may require an additional location specific feature such as a highly
skilled labor force, a high per capita income, or a high share of residents with financial
access to health care to sustain a viable business.
- Many mental health and substance abuse employers avoid rural areas, but this is offset
in some areas by at least some small practice mental health physicians locating in
rural areas.
- Generally, higher shares of insured residents, regardless of private, Medicaid, or
Medicare policy holders, lead to a higher likelihood of a county potentially having
at least some mental health and substance abuse centers.
- The only establishment type inversely related to per capita income are outpatient
mental health/substance abuse centers, which tend to be larger in areas with higher
poverty.
For the detailed journal article from which this map derives, see Van Sandt, Anders,
Craig Wesley Carpenter, Scott Loveridge, Rebekka Dudensing, and Linda Niehm. 2021.
“Revealing U.S. Retail Industries’ Functional Hierarchy Through Demand Thresholds.” Under review.
This project was supported by the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive
Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), award number
2017-67023-26242.
Economic Opportunity Maps Methodology Discussion Guide User's Guide