Mental health providers in flood stricken rural Iowa already short-handed, expect more demand

DES MOINES — Many Iowa farmers faced devastating floods this year, leading to an increased need for mental-health services – when they can find them, according to an IowaWatch report. Fifty of the fifty-nine Iowa counties designated disaster areas are also identified as having an inadequate number of providers for the population. Beyond access, there is still some stigma associated with getting help.

Mike Rosmann, who is both a farmer and therapist, says farmers might not seek help if they’re worried about their insurance costs being affected by a mental-health diagnosis. “They might need counseling, and they can’t afford it, so there isn’t a way for them to get assistance unless they pay for it. And that just then digs a little deeper hole, financially.”

Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Mike Naig says farmers who’ve already faced damaging floods, historic planting delays and trade tariffs this year have good reason to be stressed out.  “There’s a lot of economic volatility, there’s economic hardship that comes with flooding. And so much of this is outside of a farmer’s control – and that, I think, also contributes to that stress.”

While Congress did allocate ten-million dollars for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network to help address the problem, only two-million dollars was authorized. Several farm advocacy groups recently sent a letter asking the House and Senate Subcommittees on Agriculture to fund the balance. Questions about those funds and other issues are often fielded by Tammy Jacobs, a coordinator for the Iowa Concern hotline.  “We hear a lot from wives of farmers who are concerned about their husbands. They don’t know how they’re going to make it and they’re concerned about their mental health. So, I think we hear more from persons who care about the farmer than actual farmers.”

Farmers say another obstacle is therapists who aren’t adequately trained to understand the challenges of agricultural life, or who don’t stay local long enough to learn. Mental-health specialists often choose to locate in more urban areas and some counties hit hardest by flooding can’t access national programs, such as student loan forgiveness, that encourage young health professionals to work in rural America. The lack of high-speed internet also hampers the ability for some to conduct therapy online.