PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and state officials and local medical personnel talked about resources farmers can use if they need help with their mental health.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture and southern Illinois University School of Medicine promoted the farm family resource Initiative at Unity Point Health’s Atrium.
The program gives farm families a way to connect to resources to get mental health help. State lawmakers were able to get an additional $500,000 in funding for this program.
“This is now going to be, I think our best effort to date, of really putting resources where they belong. And that is to address mental health issues as it relates to agriculture .” said state senator district 46 Dave Koehler.
The Farm Family Resource Initiative started in 2019. It expanded from 6 counties to all 102 in the state last year.
Here is a link to the Farm Family Resource Initiative website.
