In a profession that involves backbreaking labor, life-altering financial decisions and the favor of Mother Nature, farmers and ranchers are especially vulnerable to mental health issues.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has requested help from the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and OSU Extension to develop Heal the Harvester, a Project ECHO line of assistance for rural Oklahomans.
Heal the Harvester launched in October to help increase awareness of needs and resources to support rural residents experiencing mental health crises.
While OSU’s Project ECHO provides the management and information technology infrastructure of Heal the Harvester, OSU’s Jason Beaman facilitates video sessions on mental health education and consultation for Extension educators. Beaman is chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at OSU’s Center for Health Sciences and the director of training and education for OSU’s Center for Wellness and Recovery.
“Farmers and ranchers have a strong work ethic that sometimes works against them,” Beaman said.
As the Heal the Harvester program progresses, Beaman plans to identify three county Extension offices that can offer telemedicine services. Heal the Harvester training is funded through support from ODAFF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to the program, Arthur said there are other resources available that also address the unique challenges of production agriculture.
For more information, visit https://medicine.okstate.edu/echo/heal-the-harvester-echo.html.
