Challenges to rural mental health access:

• Self-imposed barrier of asking for help when taught to pursue self-reliance as a virtue

• Lack of trust in anyone to maintain confidentiality in a small, close-knit community

• Fear of negative judgement from others as being incompetent or less capable

• Difficulty getting an appointment with limited availability of mental health professionals

• Time and transportation required for long-distance travel to meet with a mental health professional

• Unreliable, expensive, or nonexistent internet service for online video or telehealth appointments

• Lack of adequate health insurance coverage

• Feeling of isolation without having access to talk with someone outside of the community who understands mental

• health challenges in rural America

• Weakening agricultural economy, financial instability and a solitary way of life

In rural counties, the suicide rate is between 18.3 and 20.5 per 100,000 residents, compared to large urban communities where the rate is between 10.9 and 12.5 per 100,000 residents.2 (64 to 68 Percent Higher)

Recognize suicide and mental illness in rural America as an emergency Normalize conversations about mental illness and reduce stigma through rural Americans sharing personal lived experiences Recognize mental illness as an illness rather than a character flaw

Sited: https://mhanational.org/events/rural-mental-health-crisis?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b08a4191-9f7d-4bbf-beb7-418c1ccc2454

Bringing a mental health tool for the workplace and understanding the rural landscape is core to Northstar EAP. Can we operate in a large city or urban area, of course, but do we also understand and work especially well with those located outside of those zones. Also yes. We wanted to post and share this information since we are slowly leaving summer behind and know that issues like weather can be more affective for those who commute an hour to work, but it's because they drive 50 miles, not 15 in traffic. People who choose to live this lifestyle face the challenges listed above when it comes to care and access, but they also are tough and resilient.

Conversely, as much as we at Northstar work to provide access and mental health care via the workplace, managers and leaders need to understand and adjust as well. Just like the seasons we need to create sustainable work practices that help our team succeed and achieve continuously. It's a marathon not a sprint. The quote we recently posted, "what is easy is sustainable. Birds coast when they can." Meaning, they sometimes need to flap those wings, fly into a storm, or work harder at times, but they can't sustain that effort over prolonged periods they need rest. The more even and sustainable the workload, the smoother and more efficient the operation.

Organizational leaders, managers, supervisors, and workers alike have an unprecedented opportunity to examine the role of work in our lives and explore ways to better enable all workers to thrive within the workplace and beyond. Workplaces Can Be Engines of Mental Health and Well-Being community. When people thrive at work, they are more likely to feel physically and mentally healthy overall, and to contribute positively to their workplace. This creates both a responsibility and unique opportunity for leaders to create workplace environments that support the health and well-being of workers.

"Mental health in the workplace: It's not a nice-to-have, it's a must-have."

Workers manage daily stress that affects their health and organizational performance. These stressors arise from heavy workloads, long commutes, unpredictable schedules, limited autonomy, long work hours, multiple jobs, low wages, and a variety of other work-related challenges on top of responsibilities outside of the workplace. Some workers may face other challenges in the workplace, such as hostile or dangerous working conditions, harassment, and discrimination. Research suggests that five workplace attributes are most predictive of whether workers refer to their organization's culture as "toxic": disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive. Chronic stress leads to overactivation of the "fight or flight" response, among other responses, and can have negative effects on numerous organ systems in the body. Elevated stress hormones disrupt sleep, increase muscle tension, and impair metabolic function.

Stress can increase one's vulnerability to infection, the risk for diabetes, and the risk for other chronic health conditions. In fact, chronic stress has also been linked to a higher risk of developing diseases such as high blood pressure. In a survey of more than 2,000 workers conducted by the American Psychological Association by 2022, low salaries, long hours, and the lack of opportunity for advancement were commonly reported as key workplace stressors. Among these same workers, however, seven in ten reported that their employer is more concerned about the mental health of workers than before.