Hochul announces rural mental health funding
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday, Feb. 6 that $9.6 million in state funding is available to provide additional mental health assistance services for rural areas of the state, including a program dedicated to helping farmers, agribusiness workers and their families.
According to a news release from Hochul's office, the state Office of Mental Health is providing $7.6 million to establish four new Critical Time Intervention teams to support individuals living with mental illness in rural areas of the state during periods of transition and $2 million for the Farmers Supporting Farmers program to help those working in agriculture to navigate the stress often associated with the industry.
'We have an obligation to bring mental health assistance to New York's farmers and the rural areas of our state where these supports aren't always readily available,' Hochul said. 'The combined impact of the Farmers Supporting Farmers program and Critical Time Intervention teams will help bring additional mental health resources to parts of our state where behavioral health services are much needed.'
According to the release, OMH is providing $7.6 million over five years to establish two new Critical Time Intervention teams to serve counties in Western New York, and two others to serve counties in the North Country. These teams will join three others awarded last year and expected to be operational later this year.
OMH is also providing $2 million over five years for a service provider to implement the Farmers Supporting Farmers program statewide, specifically in the 44 counties that support farms and agribusinesses. The state has roughly 43,000 square miles of rural land area with about 3.4 million New Yorkers — more than 17% of the state's population — living in communities considered rural, the release stated.
Farmers Supporting Farmers was developed "in response to the well-documented link between economic crises and the resulting stress that puts farm workers and their families at an increased risk for poor behavioral health outcomes," the release stated. The funding will provide technical assistance to address their business and financial needs, along with wellness support to promote improved behavioral health outcomes.
About 20% of rural residents aged 55 or older live with a mental health issue, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Likewise, rural communities report significantly higher suicide rates than urban areas for both adults and youth, the release stated.
OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, 'Our effort to strengthen New York state's mental health care system includes bringing services to traditionally underserved areas, which include many of our rural communities. These programs are providing critical supports to an at-risk segment of the population that might otherwise be disconnected from our system of care.'
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