Recent News

Living in rural places can be beautiful, fulfilling, and incredibly freeing. It can also be lonely, desolate, and lacking access to many important elements. For some living in rural communities, access to a doctor or mental health professional can be many hours away.    This article written by Maddy Butcher of the Washington Post highlights […]

Across the United States, the 988 mental health hotline went live a couple of weeks ago. It's more recognizable sister hotline, 911, has had decades to build up support, infrastructure, and awareness. The 988 hotline will take some time to do the same thing, but we want to do our part at the Mountain Plains […]

Description As with all of the states that fall within HHS Region 8, Wyoming has had countless hurdles to get over in their battle against mental health in the state. Sparse populations and large distances from accessible mental healthcare are common problems citizens of Wyoming face.    This recent article by Kevin Killough Powell Tribune […]

Description Montana State University has a wonderful resource aimed exclusively at farmers and the mental health of agricultural workers. On their website, they host several useful tools such as stress quizzes, definitions, and links to articles and other resources that can help farmers navigate their mental health choices. It's a wonderful resource that we want […]

The following is from an article on the mhanational.org website:   "Although being LGBTQ+ is absolutely not a mental illness, many LGBTQ+ people experience mental health struggles. The bisexual and transgender communities have the highest rates of mental health concerns within the LGBTQ+ population. Younger members of the LGBTQ+ community struggle the most with mental […]

"Our country faces an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages. Two in five American adults report symptoms of anxiety and depression, and more than half of parents express concern over their children’s mental well-being. Over forty percent of teenagers state they struggle with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. These growing demands have exposed longstanding cracks in our […]

SALT LAKE CITY, UT   "State leaders and community advocates called for better support and policies for maternal mental health on Tuesday, saying almost half of Utah mothers report mental health symptoms before, during or after pregnancy. Among the nearly 45% of Utah mothers reporting mental health symptoms, 1 in 7 report dealing with depression in […]

Salt Lake City, UT Scott Smid's legacy was one that began in the 1930s with the bound copy of his grandfather's master's thesis in social work. Smid has witnessed involvement in social work and health care, beginning with his grandfather and continuing through generations. He recalled hanging on his father's pant leg as he watched […]

Shared from the Rural Health Information Hub. This is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the extra burden that it can be for those that live in rural settings to access healthcare.    An interview with Alva Ferdinand, DrPH, JD, director of the Southwest Rural Health Research Center (SRHRC), and Marvellous Akinlotan, PhD, research assistant professor at the SRHRC, who […]

Hospital staff around the world have felt squeezed like never before thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Working countless hours under extreme circumstances, the strong and fearless staff at our hospitals have given their all, sometimes literally. Burnout, mental health, and social factors have all taken their toll on these workers. It is more important […]

Dr. Morgan Medlock is now Colorado's first commissioner of behavioral health. She is leading the charge on Colorado's focus to streamline mental health resources becoming more accessible for all citizens to have.  Dr. Medlock said that her "first priority is making sure people know where to go for treatment, which requires help from libraries, homeless […]

Utah is a state that, like so many others, has much of their population that live in more rural settings that are further away from mental health resources. Starting over a decade ago, some of the smaller communities in Utah started noticing declining quality in their ability to reach rural settings with mental health help. […]

Way to go, North Dakota!   Anytime the process can be streamlined between rural communities and mental health providers, we are ALL ABOUT IT! Bridging the gap between the two is critical so that the wonderful people that live in rural communities across Region 8 have the access they need to the help they deserve. […]

Farm stress is very real, and those living those lifestyles are far too familiar with it. Watch this great video that was produced by the Farm Bureau that highlights a few stories of farmers and their families and how farm stress has helped them to realize that it is okay to not be okay. There […]

"The Montana Office of Public Instruction recently reported a 30-year high of 41% of high school students reporting feelings of depression, so addressing mental health is now more important than ever." This reflects a growing trend in schools nationwide where kids are experiencing more and more mental health concerns and struggles every day. The University […]

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has created a coloring book for children to help them communicate and release their feelings.  "To help foster dialogue between children and the safe adults in their lives, as well as provide children a tool for helping express and explore their feelings in a fun, creative and empowering […]

  5 Mental Health Tips for Valentine’s Day Here are five ways you can focus on your mental health and make this Valentine’s Day the best one yet:   1. Celebrate your most important relationship – the one you have with yourself! The relationship you have with yourself will be your longest relationship in life, so […]

"As funding for mental health services in Wyoming is reduced, mental health providers say they need more" (Wyoming Public Media, 2021).  This is the situation that Wyoming finds themselves in when it comes to mental health awareness and promotion. So many residents of Wyoming depend on the state's access to resources to combat mental health […]

The following is a fantastic resource produced by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They have created several infographics meant to share key data and points surrounding mental health and awareness, and we are happy to share this resource with you. Click here to be redirected to their website to learn how you can […]

Utah and KSL.com are tackling the mental health of their youth head-on! Watch this short clip to understand what they are doing and why it is so important.  Watch Video Here

Workshop Wednesday Overcoming the stigma of mental health can be a daunting task. With so much exposure from social media, family, friends, and other sources, your mental health can take a beating. Back in May 2021, the Mountain Plains MHTTC held a Workshop Wednesday focused on overcoming the stigma of mental health. You can learn […]

SAMHSA - Building Community Resilience Prevention and recovery services are critical elements of a health safety net for communities. With drug overdoses and suicide rates continually increasing, it is more important than ever before to make sure that community members are aware of helpful resources available to them. Prevention and recovery services are designed to […]

Helping Young Children and Parents Transition Back to School Transitioning back to school during the global health pandemic can present unique challenges. For many families, the pandemic has resulted in keeping children at home. The reopening of schools and early education programs means new starts for children returning to school and for children who will be attending a […]

New Brief on Alcohol-Involved Death Rates from 2006 to 2019 Alcohol-related deaths have increased significantly almost every year since 2007. An April 2021 report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, State Health Access Data Assistance Center draws on statistics data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to present trends and variations in alcohol-related […]