Farmers and residents of rural communities often face stigma when it comes to mental health challenges, but state leaders hope to change that.
Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that chapters of FFA – the group once known as Future Farmers of America – will be eligible for $1,000 grants to fund mental health awareness programs in schools and rural communities. Up to 20 such grants will be available through the Illinois FFA Foundation starting this fall.
Pritzker and other state leaders made the announcement at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, an annual exposition of farm technology and other agriculture industry advancements.
“There is nothing more important than making sure that every Illinoisan has access to the mental health services they need to live happy and healthy lives,” Pritzker said.
The program is being overseen by the Illinois FFA Foundation in partnership with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Farm Family Resource Initiative.
Karen Leavitt Stallman, an ag resource specialist at SIU Medicine who coordinates FFRI, said she hopes the partnership with FFA will help direct attention to the resources available for farmers.
“There is a stigma. It’s hard for someone to reach out for help…” Stallman told Capitol News Illinois. “In the agriculture community, it’s particularly difficult. As farmers, we’re a stoic bunch.”
FFRI began in 2019 the late state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, advocated for its launch. After a pilot in six counties, the program expanded to offer mental health and stress-management resources to the entire state, with increased state and federal funding.
The SIU program offers professional development, webinars and online resources to help farmers and their families manage stress and mental health challenges. They also offer up to six free telehealth counseling sessions to those in the agriculture industry and their families.
The inspiration for the FFA partnership came from a similar program at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, according to Stallman.
SIU system president Dan Mahony said in a news release Tuesday that FFRI is “moving the health of rural families forward” and that the FFA partnership represents a “multi-generational approach to mental health and wellness,” something the governor echoed.
“I have two Gen Z kids myself and let me tell you this generation knows that healthcare includes mental healthcare,” Pritzker said.
Rural communities face particular challenges in both access to and attitudes toward mental health.
Source: northernpublicradio.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-shotbydave
Categories: Illinois, General