The Letter to the Editor below was submitted in response to Toxic Grit: Is Our Greatest Strength Our Greatest Weakness on the Farm?
Dear Editor:
My 28-year-old nephew, Brooks, was a multi-generational dairy farmer and father of 4-year-old twins. His death by suicide is a tragic and poignant indicator of a problem that is drastically increasing. My family is from upstate New York. I currently own a dairy farm and am the Founder and CEO of a communications firm working in the agricultural/biotechnology/pharmaceutical arenas. I find this article to be a needed and strong voice for advocates of rural mental health.
Your article is impactful for many reasons. I think it points to changing areas of healthcare, including rural-urban disparities, the potential benefits of telehealth, the need for educational outreach, and the mental health concerns facing a self-reliant population who internalizes distress and generally assumes a greater role in their mental and physical wellbeing. The following points are powerful when added to the statistic you included of one in five adults experiencing a form of mental illness each year.
• People in rural areas tend to have decreased amounts of help-seeking behaviors.
• Farming is often considered one of the most stressful occupations.
• Approximately 800,000 people die by suicide every year.
Because of the inherent values and rural geography that define the agricultural landscape, deciding how to act is a challenge. A prospective approach is two pronged with one aspect being more tangible than the other. First, treatment must be accessible and readily available, and secondly, the stigmatized narrative must change through education, outreach, and community support. Some ideas to start might include:
Improving Rural Healthcare Access:
A) Incentivizing rural clinic staffing to include a broad mental health workforce
B) Expanding broadband infrastructure to allow for private telehealth options
C) Streamlining the clinic to hospital process for crisis intervention
Opening Doors:
A) Empower support through community centers, churches, and planned events
B) Distribution of educational materials
C) Local televised programming that promotes mental wellness
It is with hope and enthusiasm that I write this response. Rural mental health is a deeply personal and professional interest of mine, and I am thankful for the attention that is being brought to it through articles such as yours. Through continued advocacy and practical implementation, we can prevent undue struggle and tragic outcomes. Also, these efforts will hopefully lead to policy advancement and actions to thwart any further decline in the life of the American farmer.
-Jeffrey A. Winton
Green Oaks, Ill.
Wall Street Dairy, LLC
Jeff Winton Associates
Read more on rural mental health here:
Toxic Grit: Is Our Greatest Strength Our Greatest Weakness on the Farm?
When Stress Goes Beyond Normal
