Displaying items by tag: mental health

New funding from the Government to help rural communities deal with an acute mental health situation is welcome, says Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa NZ (RHANZ) chairperson Dr Jo Scott-Jones.

THE 100 extra people to be trained to help farming families get support to deal with stress-related issues will mainly work through the Rural Support Trusts.

Federated Farmers president William Rolleston, himself a doctor, is full of praise for the Farmstrong initiative, saying it’s great to see the approach to mental health being treated in such a positive way. 

FMG insurance chief executive Chris Black says while farmers have plans and systems in place to manage their land, stock and machinery, they generally lack a plan for their own personal wellbeing.

The most important asset on a farm is the farmer; a healthy farmer means a healthy business.

Rural insurer FMG is this week launching a mental health initiative aimed at the rural community.

The rural sector needs to focus more on mental wellness and look at developing simple self-diagnostic tools, says a South Island professional development coach, Loshni Manikam.

Initial findings from important research on rural mental health will be released at the first-ever National Rural Health Conference at Rotorua on March 13-14.

With a disproportionate number of suicides in the rural sector, Federated Farmers is calling for a proactive approach to solve the problem.