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sowing the seeds of hope

 

"When the devastating news came one day that the bank could no longer loan us money to farm, I completely fell apart.  I called the hotline many times.  They are wonderful people, so extremely helpful.  In fact they saved my life numerous times."
- Crisis Hotline Caller




"This getaway actually got us up and doing something about our situation to make it better for us.  Some terrific ideas and solutions to problems were discussed.  It should be required of farmers for the health of their family, marriage and profession."
 - couple who attended a farm couple retreat
 

The Sowing the Seeds of Hope program provides behavioral health services to uninsured, underinsured and other at-risk farm and ranch families and agricultural workers.  Seven states (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin) formed the regional program in 1999. 

The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health and Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association designed and initiated the SSoH project.  The project has been supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health Policy, Bureau of Primary Health Care, state and federal appropriations and private contributions.  AgriWellness, Inc., a nonprofit organization, provides administrative services. 

SSoH accomplishments to date include:

  • SSoH crisis telephone hotlines responded to more than 34,000 callers. 
     
  • SSoH provided agricultural behavioral health community education to more than 10,000 persons
     
  • SSoH vouchers and other forms of assistance were provided to over 7,500 farm families/residents which enabled them to access behavioral health care services they would otherwise not have been able to afford.
     
  • SSoH partners trained more than 3,400 professionals in agricultural behavioral health to deliver these services.
     
  • Retreats and support groups for over 700 farm men, women and families have also been held in several states.
     
  • SSoH reached more three million people with public awareness and marketing activities.

SSoH work has been featured on ABC and CNN television broadcasts and National Public Radio and Farm Bureau radio programs.  Despite droughts, floods and ongoing economic challenges to family-sized farming operations, the suicide rate has not increased in states that have had SSoH services, whereas during the farm crisis of the 1980’s suicide and violence increased dramatically. 

The SSoH model has been selected as a “best practice model” which is included in Rural Healthy People 2010:  A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010.

The SSoH program was selected for inclusion in a compendium of model rural health programs published by the National Rural Health Association entitled Hope in the Face of Challenge