Despite significantly higher rates of suicide among rural residents, mental health resources in rural Kansas continue to be lacking, panelists in Dodge City said last week. Chuck Strand of Rural Minds, a national non-profit, said self-reliance can be a challenge and an opportunity. "Someone mentioned the challenge of people in rural communities being very self-reliant and do-it-yourself," Strand said. "That mindset can be necessary to survive and thrive in rural communities, but it can be a real challenge when that mindset is driving a response to a mental health challenge or a potential mental illness." Rural Minds offers the information and resources so people can do it themselves, he said. Rural communities have a lack of access to both mental and physical health providers, Strand said. Telehealth has filled some of that gap. However, 30 percent of rural homes don't have access to reliable internet access.