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New resources support rural mental health access for youth
A new program is supporting mental wellness in youth across rural communities.
Adriel Rigsby with Rural Minds tells Brownfield, “Rural youth ages 15 to 19 are dying by suicide at a rate 74 percent higher than urban peers.”
Rural Minds partnered with Northwestern University’s Lab for Scalable Mental Health to create the Rural Youth Mental Wellness Program and address resource gaps.
“Access, affordability, and stigma—those were the three walls that really were standing between rural youth and mental health support, and so we designed these tools to break through all three of those,” she says.
Rigsby says the digital platform offers sessions to help young people better understand feelings like depression, anxiety, and suicide.
“Our goal at the end of the day is to share these resources and information, and save lives,” she shares.
The program is launching nationwide this September for National Suicide Prevention Month.
If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
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