Announcing the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program
Presented by Rural Minds and the National Grange
With Generous Support FROM Our Sponsors
Join Us For The next webinar in Rural Minds Rural Mental Health Connections Series:
Managing Tardive Dyskinesia in Rural America
Thursday, May 9
7pm ET | 6pm CT | 5pm MT | 4pm PT
Co-sponsored by Neurocrine Biosciences
and Teva Pharmaceuticals
Quick Links
Facts About Mental Health in Rural America:
There is a mental health emergency in rural America. Suicide rates among people living in rural areas are 64% to 68% higher compared to people living in large urban areas. (1)
Rural Areas have 20 Percent Fewer Primary Care Providers Than Urban Areas (2)
28 percent of rural homes lack access to broadband Homes (3)
65 Percent of Rural Counties Do Not Have A Psychiatrist (4)
RURAL MINDS™ SERVES THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF RURAL AMERICANS BY:
Listening to and providing a forum for courageous people to share their experiences with mental illness;
Connecting rural Americans across the country with existing mental health resources including crisis and suicide hotlines, via www.RuralMinds.org;
Identifying gaps in mental health information and services;
Partnering with community leaders and organizations on mental health initiatives;
Collaborating with individuals and organizations to improve rural mental health including rural residents, donors and volunteers, large and small nonprofits, and socially responsible corporations with a strong interest in the health of rural Americans, and;
Developing new educational resources and support services to address the unmet needs for mental health in rural communities throughout the United States.
FUTURE INITIATIVES
To improve mental health in rural America, there are challenges that are unique to the rural lifestyle that need to be overcome, including:
Many people living in rural communities find it difficult to ask for help
There’s a shortage of mental healthcare providers in rural communities
Rural Minds aims to empower people living in rural communities with the information and resources they need to become part of the solution. This involves partnering with other organizations to create mental health educational content and training programs that honor self-reliance in rural Americans.
By serving as trusted sources of information and having courageous conversations about mental health, we believe rural Americans can help each other overcome many mental health challenges and minimize the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Disparities in Suicide (2022). Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/disparities-in-suicide.html (When percentages are calculated, the suicide rate in rural areas is 64-68% higher than in large urban communities.)
JAMA, Assessment of Changes in Rural and Urban Primary Care Workforce in the United States From 2009 to 2017, Original Investigation Health Policy, October 28, 2020; Donglan Zhang, PhD1; Heejung Son, MS1,2; Ye Shen, PhD2; et al
Vogels, E. (August 19, 2021). Some digital divides persist between rural, urban and suburban America. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/19/some-digital-divides-persist-between-rural-urban-and-suburban-america/1
American Journal of Preventive Medicine published study reported in “Big Think,” June 25, 2018
