AgrAbility of Illinois and University of Illinois Extension will be hosting the Illinois Ag Mental Health Summit at the Illinois Farm Bureau on March 4 in Bloomington, IL. Attendees are invited to gather from 10AM-2PM to discuss and share available mental health resources and services for farmers and the agricultural community.
"The mental health of farmers has become a major focus among health professionals, UI Extension, and agribusiness. In Illinois, there are several organizations working to create resources and many other organizations who need resources, but often, the two are unaware of each other. The goal of The Summit is to really inventory and showcase the resources and services in the state and connect the organizations creating resources with the organizations that need resources," explains Dr. Josie Rudolphi, co-director of the Illinois AgrAbility program.
The Illinois Ag Mental Health Summit seeks to identify and showcase the mental health and stress management resources available to farmers in Illinois. During this one-day meeting, participants will have the opportunity to network with others in the ag mental health space and explore opportunities to increase resource dissemination.
At the end of the day organizers hope to have a catalog of materials - websites, hotlines, webinars, literature, programming, events - that they can distribute around the state.
Submitted by Megan Crowhurst