April 23, 2018

Rural mental support legislation introduced in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON – RuU.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, introduced the bipartisan Facilitating Accessible Resources for Mental Health and Encouraging Rural Solutions For Immediate Response to Stressful Times (FARMERS FIRST) Act to provide our nation’s agricultural community with critical mental health support and resources.

A 2016 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found agricultural workers have a higher suicide rate than any other occupation. To assist these farmers in crisis, Senators Ernst and Baldwin’s bipartisan legislation would provide seed funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to state departments of agriculture, state extension services, and non-profits to establish helplines, provide suicide prevention training for farm advocates, create support groups, and reestablish the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. In addition to these resources, the bill would establish a Farm and Ranch Stress Assessment Committee to better understand how agricultural workers’ mental health impacts rural development and provide recommendations for addressing mental health care needs within the agriculture community.

“Farmers are the backbone of our rural economy and leaders in our rural communities. Washington has been slow to recognize the challenges that farmers are facing and the daily stressors that they experience during difficult years,” said Senator Baldwin. “The FARMERS FIRST Act will make sure that when there is a crisis on the farm, farmers know they are not alone and there are resources available to help them find a path through tough times. This bipartisan reform will provide funding for local resources and expand access to stress reduction strategies and suicide prevention programs that will help tackle this problem and save lives.”

“The incredibly high rate of suicide within the agricultural community underscores the urgent need to act to address this crisis,” said Senator Ernst. “We must do more to ensure those who work tirelessly from sunrise to sundown to feed and fuel our world have access to the mental health resources and supports they need. With more than 88,000 farms and over 150,000 farmers in Iowa, our agricultural community is the backbone of our state, I am glad to partner with Senator Baldwin to improve the quality and timeliness of mental health care for the hardworking folks in our agricultural communities.”

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Source: Source: Vinton Newspapers

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