Legislation Aims to Increase Farmers’ Access to Mental Health Services
A recently introduced bill would help boost mental health services in rural areas. The Farm Bureau-backed Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act of 2020 (S. 3917) would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services in coordination with USDA’s Rural Health Liaison to award grants for home-based telemental health care demonstrations.
Designed to increase mental health services in rural medically underserved populations and for individuals in farming, fishing and forestry occupations, the bill would authorize up to $10 million of funds currently available to the HHS secretary for each of fiscal years 2020 to 2024.