Mental Health Accessibility

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Meixian Li

Shanghai Normal University

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Mentors: Mengxi Zhang and Junghwan Kim

Virginia Tech

Project 1:

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Measure spatial accessibility to Walk-in Mental Health Centers in the U.S.

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Research Background

Mental health affects over 1 in 5 U.S. adults, 123 million live in areas with limited access to mental health facilities. �A walk-in center provides immediate, on-site care without the need for an appointment or referral, making it vital in the U.S. where referral wait times for mental health services are often long.

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Research Objective & Method :

To measure geospatial accessibility to walk-in mental health clinics across US

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Model: Two Step Floating Catchment Area Model （2SFCA）�It involves calculating within a certain distance from a population point (supply) and then assessing the demand on each facility based on the population within its catchment area.

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Research Progress

Conducted literature review and learning the model.

Completed data collection, mapped the distribution of the mental health care clinics providing same day walk in service

Timeline

Project 2:

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Measure Spatial Accessibility to Telemental Health Services in the U.S.

Research Background

Telemental health services have become widely adopted since the Covid. This technology allows patients to receive mental health support without the need for in-person visits, breaking down barriers such as distance and availability.

Research Objective & Method

Calculate accessibility scores for telemental health facilities across the U.S.

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Model: Two Step Virtual Catchment Area Model （2SVCA）�In the first step, it uses broadband data to calculate virtual service availability(supply). In the second step, it assesses the demand on each virtual facility based on the population within its virtual catchment area.

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Research Progress

Conducted literature review and learned the model

Completed data collection of the broadband services

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Timeline

What I learnt

Learnt new methods and GIS applications in Social Science

Learnt Knime Softwares and Python to solve geospatial problems

Get exposed to Interdisciplinary studies