Rolled out in July, the hotline is staffed by trained mental health professionals who are familiar with stressors in agriculture communities, according to AgriSafe’s website.
“There are so many factors in agriculture that are out of their control,” Tara Haskins, DNP, RN, who runs the organization’s mental health programming and the helpline, told High Country News on Aug. 24. “They can’t control the market. They can’t control the weather. They feel the need to keep working regardless because when they spend time away, they can equate that to money lost.”
If necessary, the hotline’s staff can direct callers in need of more serious care to appropriate resources.
The hotline is accessible around the clock in Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and AgriSafe said it plans to expand nationwide once it has the proper resources.