Title: Providing Mental Health Resources to Rural Kentuckians

Relevance: 1 in 3 adults in the United States lives with a mental illness; in Kentucky, 43% of adults report signs or symptoms of anxiety or depression across their lifespan.   However, only about 1 in 4 of those individuals have sought professional mental health services.  At the same time, suicide is the second leading cause of preventable death in Kentucky for individuals aged 10-34, and those over the age of 59.   

Response: Kentuckians need the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to a mental health challenge, whether it be their own or to help someone else.  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, in collaboration with the Raising Hope initiative, and UK Healthcare’s Healthy Kentucky Initiative, are providing Kentuckians in rural counties across the state with free access to two evidence-based mental health education programs: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR) crisis intervention training.  These trainings are available in person, virtually, and online asynchronously through Cooperative Extension and our partners.  

Results: In this program year (2023-2024), nearly 1,100 Kentuckians have accessed the online asynchronous QPR training, and over 175 individuals participated in Mental Health First Aid training, gaining knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to a mental health challenge.  Upon completion of the training, evaluations showed 100% of participants demonstrated the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to a variety of mental health challenges, and 100% described an increased comfortability with providing support to a person in crisis.

After taking the Mental Health First Aid course, one participant explained, “I encounter many adults each school year that I’ve had conversations regarding their mental health, and I’ve never received training to handle those situations.  I will use the knowledge I learned in this course from now on.”

Public Value Statement: Mental health education increases the health and safety of all Kentuckians.   Extension plays a vital role in making mental health education and resources available and affordable in rural communities.