what we do
AgriWellness, Inc. provides administrative services and technical assistance to the Sowing the Seeds of Hope (SSoH) projects in seven states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Begun in 1999, the SSoH project was designed and initiated by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health and Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association and supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health Policy and Bureau of Primary Health Care.
Core services offered in each state include the following:
- Outreach to identify persons in need of services
- Training and education of behavioral health care providers, community health workers, natural helpers, the faith community and others who serve the agricultural population
-
Education of
community citizens about agricultural behavioral health issues
- Information clearinghouses
- Crisis hotlines for the agricultural population
- Direct services through vouchers, contracts with approved providers and other means to ensure that all the agricultural population has access to necessary services
- Prevention of more serious difficulties through early intervention
- Coalition building with organizations, agencies and communities
- Advocacy for behavioral health care of the underserved agricultural population
- Social marketing through publications, press releases and other media activities
- Retreats and support group activities for farm couples and families
AgriWellness is working to establish a National Center for Agricultural Behavioral Health. A National Center for Agricultural Behavioral Health is needed to bring particular focus to the unaddressed stress, mental health and addictions of the agricultural community. A National Center will:
- Undertake research on critical behavioral health issues of the agricultural population
- Serve as a repository and clearinghouse for information about agricultural behavioral health
- Teach and promote agricultural behavioral health as part of the preparation of professionals to work with the agricultural population
- Develop agricultural behavioral health and safety practices which reduce health risks and stigma about behavioral health services among the agricultural population
- Provide technical support and consultation to educational institutions, health service delivery programs, government planning agencies and organizations which assist the rural agricultural population and the professionals who serve them