TOPEKA, Kan. (RFD News) — September is Suicide Prevention Month, bringing attention to mental health challenges in agriculture and rural communities.
Sarah Gideon with the Health Innovations Network is helping bring suicide prevention resources directly into rural communities across northeast Kansas.
“In 187 different businesses across northeast Kansas, including sale barns, co-ops, veterinarian clinics, libraries, liquor stores, coffee shops, cafes, truly anywhere that we think that we’re going to meet our audience, we have cards, stickers, coffee cup sleeves for those coffee shops that literally put resources in the hands of the individuals that pick them up.”
Resources are also being placed in more private locations, including bathroom stalls and clinic rooms, where QR codes connect people with county-specific resources.
Federal data shows suicide rates can be as much as three-and-a-half times higher in rural communities than in urban areas.
IF YOU NEED TO TALK: https://988lifeline.org/
