Moving the needle on mental health
Last week, Johnson County’s community mental health center, Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, provided its first quarterly update to the Johnson County Commissioners. The quarterly updates are one part of the improvements the VOA has committed to making to improve mental health services and delivery in Johnson County.
In a work session Wednesday night, Johnson County School District No. 1 trustees asked Superintendent Charles Auzqui about the state of the district’s counseling services. Trustees also had discussions about how smart devices, like cellphones, may be negatively impacting students’ mental health.
And on Saturday, Johnson County’s prevention and extension offices will offer a A “Coffee and Conversation” event designed to be a forum for fellowship. The informal discussion will provide strategies for checking in on friends and neighbors, especially amid drought conditions and in the aftermath of the state’s largest wildfire.
All these are promising signs in our community that we are normalizing talking about mental health and that we are committed to helping those facing mental-health hurdles know there are people ready to help and support is available.
It’s no secret that access to mental health care in rural areas like Johnson County has reached a critical state. According to the National Institute of Health, “There is a significant lack of access to specialty mental health care in rural areas in the USA. It is estimated that as many as 65% of nonmetropolitan counties do not have psychiatrists, and over 60% of rural Americans live in designated mental health provider shortage areas. Specialty mental health services are scarce in rural areas, which is likely to contribute to these disparities in care.”
That the community is having frank discussions about mental healthcare is a step in the right direction. In the not-so-distant past, mental health and access to mental health services would not have been something that would have been on meeting agendas, nor would we have expected the county’s extension office to encourage agricultural producers to check in on their neighbors.
The myth of the cowboy as a stoic, self-reliant figure who doesn't need mental healthcare is deeply ingrained in our culture. This romanticized image that glorifies toughness, resilience and emotional suppression, reinforces the false idea that seeking help is a weakness.
It is not.
In the past, the rugged individualism associated with “the cowboy” has allowed too many of our friends and neighbors to struggle in silence. Acknowledging the importance of mental well-being by fostering the need for open conversations about mental health and providing access to mental health care is vital.
Removing the stigma around mental health is a tremendous step, but there is still so much work to be done to ensure that mental health support is accessible, effective and equitable for everyone.