The awareness, transparency, resources, and conversations about mental health has been something very positive in our culture the last few years.

It’s not always easy to reach out for help. Midwest farmers are no different. According to the CDC, South Dakota has one of the top 10 suicide rates in the country.  Many of those are farmers and ranchers.

I asked a local farmer friend of mine about his thoughts on the hotline and this is what he had to say:

With the current state of all the financial struggles a lot of farmers are being forced into early retirement. There are also plenty of us just trying to hang in there. The farm economy is causing a lot of additional stress in an already stressful career.

That’s why Avera is making it easier for anyone to receive free mental health counseling. Anyone can call a new farmer stress hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to speak with a licensed mental health professional. You don’t need to be an Avera patient.

To read the entire KDLT story click here.

The free hotline number is 1-800-691-4336.

Sources: KDLT

Contributing Authors: KDLT 

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