State leaders announce FFA mental health awareness grant program
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[August 30, 2023]
By ANDREW ADAMS
Capitol News Illinois
aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com
Farmers and residents of rural communities often face stigma when it
comes to mental health challenges, but state leaders hope to change
that.
Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that chapters of FFA – the group
once known as Future Farmers of America – will be eligible for $1,000
grants to fund mental health awareness programs in schools and rural
communities. Up to 20 such grants will be available through the Illinois
FFA Foundation starting this fall.
Pritzker and other state leaders made the announcement at the Farm
Progress Show in Decatur, an annual exposition of farm technology and
other agriculture industry advancements.
“There is nothing more important than making sure that every Illinoisan
has access to the mental health services they need to live happy and
healthy lives,” Pritzker said.
The program is being overseen by the Illinois FFA Foundation in
partnership with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s
Farm Family Resource Initiative.
Karen Leavitt Stallman, an ag resource specialist at SIU Medicine who
coordinates FFRI, said she hopes the partnership with FFA will help
direct attention to the resources available for farmers.
“There is a stigma. It’s hard for someone to reach out for help…”
Stallman told Capitol News Illinois. “In the agriculture community, it’s
particularly difficult. As farmers, we’re a stoic bunch.”
FFRI began in 2019 the late state Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign,
advocated for its launch. After a pilot in six counties, the program
expanded to offer mental health and stress-management resources to the
entire state, with increased state and federal funding.
The SIU program offers professional development, webinars and online
resources to help farmers and their families manage stress and mental
health challenges. They also offer up to six free telehealth counseling
sessions to those in the agriculture industry and their families.
The inspiration for the FFA partnership came from a similar program at
the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, according to Stallman.
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A farm in rural Champaign County,
pictured in spring 2023. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew
Adams)
SIU system president Dan Mahony said in a news release Tuesday that FFRI
is “moving the health of rural families forward” and that the FFA
partnership represents a “multi-generational approach to mental health
and wellness,” something the governor echoed.
“I have two Gen Z kids myself and let me tell you this generation knows
that healthcare includes mental healthcare,” Pritzker said.
Rural communities face particular challenges in both access to and
attitudes toward mental health.
A July research brief from Adee Athiyaman, a professor at Western
Illinois University's Institute for Rural Affairs, found rural
communities lag behind metropolitan ones in awareness about mental
health care. This leads to “poor knowledge about mental health issues
and minimal support for policies about mental health care,” according to
the brief.
Rural areas also face more hurdles when it comes to accessing mental
health care. The federal Health Resources & Services Administration
designates every rural county in Illinois as a “health professional
shortage area” for mental health workers based on population statistics,
the number of mental health providers, and the prevalence of substance
abuse among other factors.
“FFA members are creative thinkers and know and understand their
communities,” Mindy Bunselmeyer, head of the Illinois FFA Center, said
in a news release Tuesday. “I’m excited to see the unique ways our
membership will look to tackle this challenge.”
If someone faces mental health challenges and is in need of immediate
assistance, the national suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached by
phone call or text at 988 or online by online chat at
988lifeline.org/chat.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news
service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of
print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the
Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along
with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and
Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
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