Helena – The Montana Department of Agriculture and Frontier Psychiatry have partnered to provide free access to counseling for Montanans involved in agriculture. Funded through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN), this partnership provides a variety of services, including individual counseling, tele-health, and medication management, at no cost to the participant.
The Counseling Access for Montana Ag (CAMA) program was created to address challenges facing those working in agriculture and ensure that farm and ranch families are receiving the support they need when experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns.
“Working in Agriculture is stressful—plain and simple,” said Christy Clark, Director at Montana Department of Agriculture.” Montana’s farmers and ranchers are carrying heavy workloads, braving the elements no matter the weather, not to mention taking care of equipment, animals, family members, and everything else that comes along with their work of feeding the world. Our department is excited to roll out resources to ensure our producers are taken care of first and foremost, because they are truly the most important part of their operation.”
Frontier Psychiatry CEO, Eric Arzubi, MD explains, “Any farmer or rancher can tell you, farm life is stressful. In the last two years alone, our state’s producers have faced a pandemic, a worsening drought, financial pressures due to fluctuating commodity prices, labor shortages, and trade disruptions. We are excited to be supporting our Montana farmers and ranchers by increasing access to mental health resources no matter where they live.”
The program is open to any Montanan involved in the agriculture. Visit frontier.care/beyondtheweather or call (406) 200-8471, Press 7 to learn more and schedule an initial appointment.