Rural America’s Mental Health Crisis

In rural America, farmers face unique stressors that can exacerbate mental health concerns, such as fluctuating commodity prices and climate-related issues. In this episode, Heidi and Joel explore solutions for rural America's mental health crisis with Alexa McKinley and Tara Haskins to discover how we can address mental health and decrease rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide amongst farmers. Alexa McKinley and Tara Haskins discuss their experiences working with farmers and addressing these mental health concerns, emphasizing how financial incentives and pipeline programs can address the stigma around treatment and improve mental health in rural America.Alexa McKinley is the Regulatory Affairs Manager at the National Rural Health Association. Tara Haskins currently serves as the Director of the Total Farm Health Initiative at AgriSafe.To find out more about the One Country Project, visit our website.