{"id":11519,"date":"2023-11-12T13:46:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T13:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/12\/bipartisan-lawmakers-eye-solutions-for-rural-mental-health-crisis\/"},"modified":"2023-11-12T13:46:44","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T13:46:44","slug":"bipartisan-lawmakers-eye-solutions-for-rural-mental-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/12\/bipartisan-lawmakers-eye-solutions-for-rural-mental-health-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Bipartisan lawmakers eye solutions for rural mental health crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

FIRST ON FOX:<\/strong> Congress is taking steps to address the rural mental health crisis in the U.S. with new legislation aimed at expanding the mental health resources available to farmers and ranchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Farming can be a lonely endeavor, and it can also be a stressful industry when the economy takes a turn for the worst, tornadoes and derechos devastate farmland, and animal diseases infect flocks and livestock \u2014 all of which impact the well-being of our producers,\u2019 Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, explained to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

Feenstra\u2019s bill, the Farmers First Act, is meant to \u2018expand behavioral health resources in our rural communities and connect our farmers with medical professionals who can provide the care that our producers deserve,\u2019 he said. The legislation is backed by two of his fellow Republicans and two House Democrats.<\/p>\n

People living in rural communities, like farmers and ranchers, have far less access to medical services, including mental health, than their suburban and urban counterparts.<\/p>\n

Sixty-five percent of rural counties do not have a psychiatrist, according to statistics compiled by Mental Health America. Rural communities also experience a higher rate of suicide, according to the data \u2014 with a suicide rate of 18.3 to 20.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 10.9 to 12.5 in large urban areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Congress cannot continue to ignore the mental health crisis in America. Rural farming communities have limited or no access to mental health services \u2014 making it difficult for farmers, farmworkers, and their families to get the support they need,\u2019 Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., one of the bill\u2019s two GOP co-sponsors alongside Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, said, \u2018They need to know they are not alone, and that help is available.\u2019<\/p>\n

The bill would reauthorize the Farm and Ranch Assistance Network (FRSAN), which connects farmers, ranchers and relevant workers to stress management resources. It would also increase FRSAN\u2019s annual funding to $15 million over a period of five years.<\/p>\n

\u2018Farmers and farmworkers are some of the toughest, hardest working people I know, but farming is a uniquely stressful job, and we\u2019ve got to get them the support they need,\u2019 Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., another of the bill sponsors, said.<\/p>\n

The program was included in the 2018 Farm Bill, a must-pass piece of legislation that must be taken up every five years. It sets fiscal priorities for a wide range of initiatives, from urban food programs to rural broadband.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Senate counterpart to Feenstra\u2019s Farmers First Act was introduced in the Senate earlier this year in May. It was led by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.<\/p>\n

If someone exhibits signs of suicide ideation, experts urge to seek help immediately by calling or texting 988 or chatting at 988lifeline.org.<\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FIRST ON FOX: Congress is taking steps to address the rural mental health crisis in the U.S. with new legislation aimed at expanding the mental health resources available to farmers and ranchers.\u00a0 \u2018Farming can be a lonely endeavor, and it can also be a stressful industry when the economy takes a turn for the worst, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":11520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}