Rural Minds Featured in Feedlot Magazine: New Organization Focuses on Mental Health in Rural America
Rural Minds™ launches today with a mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit will also convey the importance of overcoming the stigma around mental health challenges.
Rates for depression are higher in rural America than in urban areas, and suicide rates among people living in rural counties are 25 percent higher than those in major metropolitan areas. Addressing mental illness is a significant challenge in rural America due to unique barriers that include twenty percent fewer primary care providers than in cities, in addition to:
A lack of psychiatrists in 65 percent of rural counties;
A lack of psychiatric nurse practitioners in 81 percent of rural counties; and
A lack of access to broadband internet at home (four times more likely than it is for urban residents).
“Rural Minds is being launched to help rural Americans obtain greater access to mental health information and resources, while providing opportunities to help those affected through shared stories of lived experiences with mental illness,” said Jeff Winton, Rural Minds founder and chairman. “We hope to put an end to the suffering, silence and stigma that surrounds mental illness in rural communities where the need is so great.”