Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division is pleased to thank Trillium Mutual Insurance for a generous $50,000 donation in support of farmers’ mental health. The funds will support the roll out of “In the Know,” an agriculture-specific mental health literacy course developed by the University of Guelph with support from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).
In a news release, Trillium says the donation has been made through its ROOTS Community Fund to increase CMHA program accessibility in rural communities across the province.
Developed at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, In the Know is an evaluated mental health literacy training program for farmers and people who work with farmers that has been shown to increase participants’ mental health knowledge and confidence in recognizing mental health struggles, speaking about mental health, and helping others who are struggling. Spearheaded by PhD candidate Briana Hagen, Prof. Andria Jones-Bitton of the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, and a stakeholder team from farming and mental health backgrounds, the project aims to build mental health knowledge and increase help-seeking among farmers. The course provides education on topics such as stress, depression, anxiety, substance misuse and how to start a conversation around mental well-being.
CMHA Ontario will be working closely with the OFA, the province’s largest general farm organization, to ensure maximum outreach and benefit to Ontario’s agricultural community.
To learn more about Trillium Mutual and the ROOTS Community Fund, visit www.trilliummutual.com.