Rep. Neguse introduces bill to improve mental health care for farmers and ranchers

Rep. Joe Neguse introduced H.R.4382 with fellow Colorado Democrat Rep. Brittany Pettersen on June 27. According to a news release from Neguse’s office, the bill would expand a successful Colorado program to support rural communities nationwide.

Colorado’s Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program works to mitigate barriers that prevent farmers and ranchers from getting mental healthcare, like cost and stigma, by offering six free vouchers for mental health counseling services with professionals trained to work with rural clients.

The text of Neguse’s bill is not yet available online, but its lengthy title explains that it would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to order a feasibility study on implementing a program similar to CAAMHP nationwide.

“​​This legislation also requires a feasibility study on including six reimbursable therapy sessions by providers that are trained and dedicated to serving the needs of farmers, ranchers, and their family members, through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program,” the news release states.

Chad Reznicek, a behavioral health specialist, works with the Colorado AgrAbility Project, which helps farmers and ranchers with disabilities, injuries or other conditions that impact their ability to work make their workplaces more accessible. Although AgrAbility is separate from CAAMHP, Reznick said he occasionally works with the program and often recommends it.

Reznicek said CAAMHP improves the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of mental health services for farmers and ranchers. He said care is accessible because it is online, affordable because six sessions are free and acceptable because the providers are trained to understand the special stressors that come with working in agriculture.

“I think it is pretty substantial,” Reznicek said of the training. “Both in attracting people to give it a shot and also hopefully sustaining ongoing sessions and getting to a good positive outcome.” 

“Farmers and ranchers have a special need for mental health services for a variety of reasons,” Reznicek said. Historically, there is a lower likelihood of getting work-provided healthcare and a lack of systems to get mental healthcare referrals in a high-stress work environment, among other things, make farming and ranching underserved occupations.

“It has been underserved,” Reznicek said. “I think it’s gaining in popularity and awareness. We see, even within my small venue, I get asked to go participate, present at organizations that, maybe two years ago, didn’t have some sort of behavioral health or stress management piece as part of their agenda.”

Reznicek mentioned a negative stigma in rural areas about mental health as another barrier to care, saying it has stood in the way of people being able to seek out help.

“There’s also the need to just pull yourself up by your bootstraps, or that perception that that’s what we should do,” Reznicek said.

Neguse’s news release added that wildfires, drought and other extreme weather events threaten farmers and ranchers’ livelihoods, but called CAAMHP “a successful model of Colorado ingenuity” that helps them deal with unique challenges.

“Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of America, and we must make sure we are supporting their well-being,” the release quotes Neguse as saying. “This bill takes the important first step towards ensuring that these hard-working individuals have access to essential mental health care services.”