The focus of Vermont Governor Phil Scott’s briefing this week was mental health. The Republican urged residents who are stressed following the July floods to seek help from support systems and resources that are available across the state.
Scott says many people are still struggling following the catastrophic July flooding and may not know about, or want to, access mental health services.
“I think it’s especially important to make sure people are aware of the resources available to them as many are still overwhelmed with the hardships caused by this summer’s flooding," said Scott. "I know for many this may seem like a thing of the past but there’s still hundreds, if not thousands, of our fellow Vermonters living with it every single day. For those who are struggling there are people who want to help you. And it’s okay to not be okay. There’s no shame in asking for help. I know firsthand how independent Vermonters are. Many don’t want to ask for help even when they need it. They don’t want to burden anyone else. But it’s not a burden.”
Department of Mental Health Deputy Commissioner Alison Krompf says the state has a number of programs and services to help and nurture mental health.
“As we enter into September, which is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, it's important to recognize that life challenges can affect people differently," said Krompf. "For help connecting with a counselor, you can call 211 for referral to your local mental health agency. But if you need to speak with someone immediately, there are multiple crisis resources available in the state. You can text the letters VT to 741741 to reach the Vermont Crisis Text Line. Or you can call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. These resources are free. They're confidential and they're available 24/7.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated all 14 Vermont counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the July flooding. According to Vilsack’s letter to Governor Scott: “A Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators...eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.”
Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts says it is another element to help farmers recover.
“The first thing a farmer will tell you is they don't want to take on another loan," said Tebbetts. "They don't want to take on more debt. But I think it's worth having a conversation with the Farm Service Agency. Farmers should reach out to them, look at the programs that they do have through this declaration and it may help them. They may be able to refinance some debt they already have at a more favorable rate which could free up some capital for them. We do have some programs out there through the commerce agency that farmers are using to get some grants. And we also have the Vermont Community Foundation that is also providing $10,000 grants and that money is available. So I look at it as a piece of the puzzle and it may click for a farmer or two.”
In keeping with the day’s mental health theme, Tebbetts pointed to a program targeting those in the agriculture sector.
“In one of the meetings that I was at during that period when it was really soggy and it was raining every day, a lot of them were really concerned about their mental health because they weren't able to work," recalled Tebbetts. "And when you tell a farmer they can't work, or they can't get in the field, it really does affect their mental health. So there is a program and it's specifically for agriculture. It's called Farm First. It's a free program for our farmers to access. It looks at well-being, how to manage anxiety, stress, depression, grief and loss. It also has connection to financial resources. And it's a farmer peer network. So it's called Farm First. There's a phone number 802-318-5538 and it's farmfirst.org.”
