The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has appointed Dr. David L. Albright to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans’ Rural Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Albright is a university distinguished professor and Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health Research at the University of Alabama School of Social Work.

The federal committee advises the secretary on ways to improve and enhance access to healthcare services for veterans residing in rural areas.

Almost a quarter of all veterans in the United States live in rural areas, with the VA allocating 32 percent of its health care budget to rural Veteran care.

Geographically, Alabama is 96 % rural. According to the Alabama Hospital Association, most residents live within the larger urban cities, resulting in a higher concentration of health facilities and limited health services in rural areas.

Living in rural areas puts veterans, and other Alabama residents, at greater risk for not having ready access to care and non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. Other factors influencing health outcomes can include income disparities, less education, poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, housing instability and limited family and social support services.

“I believe that having the voice of Alabama veterans on this committee is very important in addressing their health care concerns and needs,” said Albright.

Alabama has approximately 315,000 veterans (about 8% of the state population). Most older veterans face accessibility barriers to care, like transportation and distance, for their healthcare needs. Many veterans report non-medical challenges such as housing instability and food insecurity. A relatively low proportion report seeking mental health services, a factor that may be contributing to alarming suicide rates among veterans.

The Veterans’ Rural Health Advisory Committee consists of 12 appointed members and three ex-officio members assigned by the secretary of the VA. Members include rural health experts in academia, rural health professionals, state Directors of Veterans Affairs, leaders of veteran service organizations and rural veterans. Members serve an initial three-year term, and the secretary may reappoint members for an additional term of service.

Dr. Albright also serves as a board director for the National Association for Rural Mental Health and is the board president of the Alabama Rural Health Association. He also holds a gubernatorial appointment to the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council.

He is the Principal Investigator of VitAL, a community-engaged research, implementation, training, and education initiative focused on improving services, policies, and social conditions for Alabamians with mental health, substance use disorder and trauma-related challenges. The VitAL team works with community and organizational stakeholders across all of Alabama’s 67 counties.

Dr. Albright is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the National Academies of Practice in Social Work.

He is a two-time FSU College of Social Work graduate (MSW 2006, PhD 2012) and earned a bachelor’s degree from Centre College. He was also awarded the Distinguished Young Alumni Award by the FSU College of Social Work for his exceptional contributions to social work and demonstration of leadership.