Rural Mental Health Connections Webinar Archives
Thank you to everyone who participated in our second Rural Mental Health Connections Webinar on May 24, 2022: Spotlight on Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger.
Watch the Video of the Webinar
This webinar begins with Pete Pompper, National Grange Community Service Director, providing a brief overview of the National Grange and the partnership with Rural Minds to provide mental health resources to rural communities across the country. It also features Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger, a Wisconsin farmer who was a presenter on the April 13 webinar. Ditz returns to share more about his personal experience with attempting suicide, living with mental illness, and founding TUGS, a mental health nonprofit.
Watch the webinar video in its entirety or locate video segments by agenda topics using the time codes below. To do so, place your cursor over the arrow on the video progress bar beneath the video. Left-click on the arrow and drag it to the time code that corresponds to the topic of interest.
0:00 Welcome Slide
0:05 Julie Lux, Moderator - Welcome and agenda overview
3:00 Pete Pompper, National Grange Community Service Director – Overview of the National Grange and the partnership with Rural Minds
8:55 Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger, TUGS Founder and survivor of attempted suicide – Lived experience of attempting suicide and founding nonprofit to address the stigma surrounding mental illness
47:17 Questions & Answers
58:80 Julie Lux - Thank You/Conclusion
Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Rural Mental Health Connections Webinar on April 13, 2021.
Watch the Video of the Webinar
Watch the webinar video in its entirety or locate video segments by agenda topics using the time codes below. To do so, place your cursor over the arrow on the video progress bar beneath the video. Left-click on the arrow and drag it to the time code that corresponds to the topic of interest.
0:00 Welcome Slide
0:12 Julie Lux, Moderator - Welcome and agenda overview
2:41 Jeff Winton, Rural Minds Founder and Chairman – Opening remarks and thanks to panelists
6:00 Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger, TUGS Founder and survivor of attempted suicide – Lived experience of attempting suicide and founding nonprofit to address the stigma surrounding mental illness
17:17 Questions & Answers with Ditz
21:28 Dr. Mark A. Frye, Psychiatrist, and Mayo Clinic Consultant - Value of participating in peer support groups and sharing lived experience with mental illness
28:03 Dr. Pravesh Sharma, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology at Mayo Clinic Health System - Impact of digital healthcare technology and telemental healthcare services
39:23 Question & Answer with Dr. Sharma
41:27 Michael Pollock, CEO of Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) - Priority initiatives and expansion of national support group network with launch of rural mental health support groups
51:10 Jeff Winton, Rural Minds Founder and Chairman - Collaboration for greater education and less stigma around mental illness by talking about it openly; lived experience of nephew’s suicide
57:00 Question & Answer with Michael Pollock
59:09 Julie Lux - Thank You / Conclusion
DETAILS About Rural Mental Health Connections – Webinar 1
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Content for this webinar focused on the power of sharing lived experience and confronting mental health challenges. In addition to a personal story about overcoming mental illness and attempted suicide, the event featured medical validation of the benefits of peer support for mental health and access to relevant information and services.
The event was sponsored by
We thank everyone who attended the webinar and the webinar panelists:
Jeff Ditzenberger, a Wisconsin farmer, sharing his story of attempting suicide and founding of TUGS, a mental health nonprofit to address the stigma surrounding mental health challenges and suicide
Mark A. Frye, MD – A Consultant in the Department of Psychiatry & Psychology at the Mayo Clinic, speaking about the empowerment of sharing lived experience with mental illness and addiction and the value of mental health support groups
Pravesh Sharma, MD – Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology at Mayo Clinic Health System, sharing an innovative approach to providing patients with telemental health services in rural communities
Michael Pollock – CEO of Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), providing an overview of the organization’s services including a national mental health support group network and the addition of rural-focused support groups
Jeff Winton – Rural Minds Founder and Chairman, and New York dairy farmer, providing an introduction to Rural Minds and website access to suicide crisis and mental health services
The webinar was moderated by Julie Lux, Rural Minds Vice President of Communications.
Webinar PANELISTs:
Jeff Ditzenberger – TUGS
Link to bio
Mark A. Frye, MD –
Mayo Clinic
Link to bio
Pravesh Sharma, MD – Mayo Clinic
Link to bio
Michael Pollock – DBSA
Link to bio
Jeff Winton – Rural Minds
Link to bio
