The Rural Mental Health Crisis
A silent epidemic is having a devastating effect on rural communities throughout America. People living in rural areas face unique challenges when caring for their mental health. Join MHA and Rural Minds to discuss the current challenges, stigma, and experiences of rural Americans and hear about potential solutions to help these communities.
This webinar will be recorded and available to the public within one week. We do not offer CEUs, but certificates of attendance will be available upon request after the event.
Join Mental Health America and Rural Minds for this free 60-minute webinar where we will:
- Identify major barriers rural Americans face in seeking help and accessing mental health services
- Explore the stigma surrounding mental health conditions in rural communities as well as ways to overcome it
- Discuss the impacts of mental health struggles many rural Americans face through stories of lived experience
- Provide information and resources through a new MHA and Rural Minds fact sheet
Meet the Speaker
Jeff Winton is the founder and chairman of Rural Minds TM, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America and to provide mental health information and resources.
When his nephew, Brooks Winton, died by suicide in 2012, Jeff’s late mother, Elaine, who helped raise Brooks, courageously ignored the guidance of some local community members, and urged Jeff to speak at the funeral about Brooks’ struggle. An outpouring of support and hearing from other farm families about their own struggles around mental health convinced him to devote a significant portion of his energies to connecting rural Americans to much-needed mental health services.
In addition to being the founder and chairman of Rural Minds, Jeff is the founder and owner of Wall Street Dairy LLC, a working family dairy farm in Chautauqua County, New York, and a member of a multigenerational farm family. He has worked for four decades as a communications and corporate affairs leader with Fortune 100 corporations and respected public relations and advertising agencies. This global experience spans highly diverse and dynamic industries, including the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, animal health, agricultural, and consumer arenas.