Free mental healthcare offered to Texas farmers, families
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Free counseling and stress management support will now be offered to Texas farmers and their families through FarmHope—a collaborative effort by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute.
FarmHope said farmers and ranchers face some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression, substance use and suicide in the nation. This was attributed to stress beyond their control, such as weather and negative changes in market conditions.
However, due to the distance from providers and the limited services available, they are typically unable to get the care they need.
The organization said services will be available at no cost to any agriculture producer, worker, or family member living in Texas. No insurance or referrals are required.
“We are not just addressing this because it has been labeled as a crisis in rural America; it’s more than that,” Tiffany Lashmet, J.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist and professor, said. “We know people who have struggled. We’ve seen the outcomes of when people get help, and when they don’t.”
Texas consistently ranks among the lowest states in mental health, despite it being one of the nation’s top agricultural providers, according to the press release.
“Farming and ranching come with more stress than most people ever see,” Carly McCord, Ph.D., Texas A&M Telehealth Institute director said. “In our rural communities, that stress gets magnified by long distances, few providers, and the stigma that keeps too many people just stay silent. That’s why this has become a real mental health crisis — and why telehealth and FarmHope matter so much. We’re bringing care to people where they are, in ways that actually work for them.”
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