The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Holly Roberts, PhD, recently was featured on the podcast “Ag State of Mind with Jason Medows.”
Dr. Roberts joined Medows to discuss mental health issues arising in farming communities due to the stress and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Roberts, an associate professor in MMI’s Department of Psychology, has developed a national profile on the issue of COVID-19 and mental health. In 2020, she was an invited panelist in a national Health and Human Services Telehealth Innovation Summit with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
During the podcast, Dr. Roberts discussed the use of telehealth to help address rural mental health issues, an initiative MMI has championed for more than a decade.
“It’s exciting to see Dr. Roberts bring her expertise to bear in a way that can help not only the people MMI serves throughout the state of Nebraska, but can assist individuals and providers across the entire country,” said Keith Allen, PhD, director of the MMI Department of Psychology.
“It was an honor to partner with the American Psychological Association on this project,” Dr. Roberts said. “Our goal was to increase awareness of the mental health impact of COVID-19 on families from farming communities. Additionally, we wanted to provide farmers with suggestions for taking the first step to reach out for help. Telehealth was highlighted as an efficient and effective way for farmers to receive behavioral health care both during and following the pandemic.”
Listen to the podcast here.