Lecturers, FHH Committees, Community Service Directors…
There’s a mental health crisis in rural America: Suicide rates are 64% to 68% higher for people living in rural areas than people living in big cities. And although people who live in rural areas have higher suicide and depression rates compared to city residents, they are less likely to access mental healthcare services.
There’s a new free program to help improve mental health in rural communities – the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program. Developed by Rural Minds and the National Grange, the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program is a collection of free, potentially life-saving mental health information and resources that can help provide support to those who are struggling with mental health.
To learn more about the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program and to access, download, and print the free program materials, click here: http://www.ruralminds.org/resilience.
Reprinted in part with permission from an e-newsletter published by Senator Stacy Guerin
Anyone affected by the violence in Lewiston is encouraged to reach out and connect with behavioral health support. Incidents of mass violence can lead to a range of emotional reactions, including anxiety, fear, anger, despair and a sense of helplessness that may begin immediately or in the days or weeks following the event.
Seek help immediately if you or someone you know is talking about suicide, feelings of hopelessness or unbearable pain, or about being a burden to others.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
For those in need of immediate support:
Call or text 988: This suicide and behavioral health crisis hotline is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week by trained crisis specialists offering free, confidential support for anyone. Specialists also can respond by chat at 988lifeline.org. (Veterans and their families can press “1” for specific assistance.) Information for the deaf and hard of hearing is available here.
Teens and young adults can text (207) 515-8398: The National Alliance on Mental Illness Teen Text Line connects youth with other youth to help them manage their challenges every day from noon to 10 p.m. (Note this is NOT a crisis line. If the situation is critical, use the Crisis Line. Simply text “home” or “hello” to 741 741.)
Clinicians, educators and first responders can call (800) 769-9819: The FrontLine WarmLine offers free support services to help these professionals manage the stress of responding to disasters from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
If you’re unsure, contact 211. It provides general information, including how to access behavioral health and social service resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information can also be found at 211maine.org.
All of these resources provide free, confidential support.
The State of Maine has created a dedicated webpage with these and other resources, including online support and resources for children and families.
Important Note!
Communications Director’s Note: *As many of you know, I teach in the Addiction Counseling Program at Beal University, offer Suicide Prevention Workshops, and am a NAMI certified mental health first aid responder. I am not familiar with the “National Alliance on Mental Illness Teen Text Line, but would strongly recommend The Crisis Text Line. Simply text “home” to 741741. (Actually any word will do!) It is data-driven and has an excellent track record. Please share this post freely–especially on Social Media, Grange Pages and Websites! The links below make it quite easy. If I can be of assistance, please contact me!
This one-hour, moderated webinar will present one woman’s lived experience with managing her adult son’s mental illness and overcoming barriers to mental healthcare in rural Wisconsin and a community psychiatrist sharing her expertise in treating patients in rural America.
FHH Committees: You could this part of your Family Health and Heating Report! (Read carefully!)
Maine’s Energy Office has prepared a Winter Heating Guide to help Maine people stay warm this winter and know where to find assistance if needed. This includes steps to receive emergency fuel if necessary, sign up for automatic fuel delivery, or find support for energy bills or to help insulate your homes. If you need to order heating fuel, we advise contacting your supplier before your tank falls below one-third full, to give busy fuel delivery companies time to schedule your delivery.
Extended periods of low temperatures can result in frozen water pipes.
To prevent water pipes from freezing, try these methods:
Keep garage doors closed, especially if there are water supply lines in the garage.
Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing, especially if your sink is on an exterior wall. (If you have small children, be sure to remove any harmful cleaners and household chemicals from the open cabinets.)
Let the cold water drip from the faucet of the exposed pipes. Running water through the pipes, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during day and night. A cold snap is not the time to set back the thermostat at night to save a few bucks on your heating bill.
If you plan to be away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home and set to a temperature no lower than 55 F.
For the long term, add insulation to attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in those areas. To prevent drafts, seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and at sill plates where the house rests on its foundation.
If your pipes do freeze, you can safely thaw them with the following actions:
Turn on the faucet. Running water through the pipe, as cold as it is, will help melt ice in the pipe.
Apply heat to the section of the pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, or a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials). Do not use a blowtorch, a kerosene or propane heater, a charcoal stove, or any device with an open flame as high heat can damage the pipes or even start a fire.
Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. Check all other faucets in your home to see whether you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.
Call a licensed plumber if you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe.
Maine has established a comprehensive way to inform the public of events and conditions impacting public health and safety. The system is based largely upon the Maine.gov home page, but you can also sign up for email or text notifications.
When you sign up, you’ll be given a long list of topics available, ranging from Amber and kidnapping alerts to storm warnings. It’s a great way to stay informed!
Special note to FHH folks: Why not provide this information as part of your next report?
Reprinted from an e-newsletter published by Maine Senator Stacey Guerin, District 4
As students, parents, and teachers are all gearing up for the start of another school year, it is a good time to remember to keep an eye out for students walking to and from school and students getting on and off school buses.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road; however, the risk is greatest when children are approaching or leaving a school bus.
Keep in mind these simple rules:
Yellow flashing lights on a school bus mean slow down because the bus is preparing to stop.
Red flashing lights mean stop. Students are getting on or off the school bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving.
Be ready to stop for a school bus as they make frequent stops.
Watch and stop for children who cross in front of the bus when the bus is stopped.
Be prepared for school buses stopping at all railroad crossings.
Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Senator Stacey Guerin, District 4.
The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (BHS) offers a Driving Dynamics course, which is a driver improvement course designed to improve a student’s defensive driving awareness. The five-hour course includes a discussion of collision avoidance techniques, safety issues, driver habits and attitudes, and the basic elements that constantly challenge drivers on Maine’s highways.
Students who complete the course will receive a three-point credit on their driving record and may be eligible for an insurance discount. BHS has also approved two AAA online and classroom driver improvement courses that satisfy the requirement for students needing an insurance discount or three-point credit on their Maine driving record. The cost to register is $40 for drivers under aged 65 and $25 for those aged 65 and over. To register for a class, visit the program’s website.
Reprinted from June 2023 Newsletter from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
Tick Bite Prevention
Wear protective clothing. This includes light-colored clothing so that ticks are easy to spot, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes, and tucking pants into socks.
Treat clothes with permethrin. Do not use on skin.
Protect pets. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention products for your pets.
Wear EPA-approved repellent.
Stay on trails and be aware of tick habitat.
Check yourself for ticks. Check often during your outdoor activity and when you return to your campsite or home.
Learn about tick ecology, diseases, and prevention measures by watching the Forestry Friday Tick Talk presented by Chuck Lubelczyk, field scientist with Maine Health Institute for Research Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.
Include this in your next Family Health and Hearing Report!
Early figures indicate that traffic fatalities have dropped dramatically in Maine since the start of the year. Compared to this time last year, 12 people have died because of accidents compared to 32 at the same time last year.
Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published Maine Senate Stacey Guerin, District 4
According to Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (BHS), 2022 was one of the deadliest years on record when 177 people were killed across the state, including 20 people who were either pedestrians or bicyclists. It was the highest year since 2007 when 183 people died that year.
Stewart said last year’s figure continued a trend that began during the pandemic, especially involving those who speed or drive recklessly. The increase in Maine follows a national trend that saw half of all states experience an increase in fatalities in 2022, according to the December 2022 estimate by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic deaths in the U.S. have been rising steadily since the summer of 2020.
Stewart said contributing factors in the fatal crashes in Maine continue to be unsafe and illegal speeds, reckless driving, alcohol and drug impaired driving and non-use of safety restraints, the latter of which she said was probably the greatest factor.
What can drivers do? BHS offers a few tips to avoid being in a serious crash, including:
Be courteous and cautious, and slow down;
Practice defensive driving – staying engaged means being alert;
Buckle up – being partially ejected almost always leads to serious injury or death;
Plan ahead – especially if you plan to get impaired;
Say something – If you see something, call 911. It can save a life.
TIP: Could this be the basis for a Family Health and Hearing Report?
