Our mission is to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. We are working to confront mental health challenges in rural communities and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

As summer sets in across our rural communities – with long days, farm-fresh produce, and friends and neighbors coming together for fairs and festivals – it brings to mind both the beauty and challenges of rural life.

During June, we celebrate Pride Month, PTSD Awareness Month, and Immigrant Heritage Month – each reminding us that behind every experience and struggle, there are people in our rural communities who deserve to be seen, heard, and supported.

This newsletter highlights many of the ways Rural Minds has continued to expand our outreach and impact over the last few weeks by bringing vital mental health information and resources to people who need it the most – through partnerships, webinars, media interviews, podcasts, and presentations nationwide.



Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Your continued support makes our work possible and our vision of a rural America where there’s no more silence, suffering, or stigma around mental illness achievable.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and restorative summer!

Jeff and Chuck Strand, Rural Minds executive director, were honored to join the more than 20,000 attendees from around the world at the BIO 2025 International Convention in Boston from June 16th through the 19th.

As part of the “Voices from Biotech” sessions at the convention, Jeff shared his personal journey and the inspiration behind founding Rural Minds. He spoke about our nonprofit’s mission to address the mental health challenges faced by the 46 million people living in rural America. Jeff was also honored to take part in the convention’s “Mission Moment,” joining a select group of patient advocates whose powerful stories were highlighted to inspire action and offer hope.

This year’s BIO 2025 theme – “The World Can’t Wait” – couldn’t be more relevant. “Our work feels more urgent than ever,” said Jeff. “In a country where someone dies by suicide every 11 minutes, we are reminded daily that the world truly can’t wait.”

We are grateful to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization for the opportunity to raise awareness about rural mental health on this global platform – and to be part of this vital conversation to move mental health advocacy forward.

Click here to watch a brief video of Jeff that was filmed at BIO 2025 and included in the organization’s newsletter.

In the photo (from right to left): Jeff, Rich Brennan, vice president, federal affairs of The ALS Association, John Crowley, president and CEO of Biotechnology Innovation Organization, John’s wife, Aileen, and daughter, Megan, Sunitha Malepati vice president of the CACNA1A Foundation, Inc.

Collaboration is key for Rural Minds in our work to confront the mental health challenges in rural America and our vision to eliminate the stigma, suffering, and silence that surround mental illness. That’s why we’ve created this feature in our newsletter – Partners in the Spotlight – where we take a moment to recognize organizations that collaborate with us as valued members of the Rural Minds Partnership Council. 

In this issue, we highlight Sage Therapeutics.

Sage Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the mission of pioneering solutions to deliver life-changing brain health medicines, so every person can thrive. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sage Therapeutics developed the only two FDA-approved treatments indicated for postpartum depression and is advancing a pipeline to target unmet needs in brain health.

Through the company’s pioneering science, Sage aims to address a wide range of brain health disorders. Integrating the patient and care partner perspectives into every aspect of its work – from research through to commercialization – helps accelerate the impact.

For more information about Sage Therapeutics, visit: https://www.sagerx.com

Rural Minds and the National Grange are working with researchers at Mayo Clinic on a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute project to involve more women in patient-centered research on alcohol misuse.

As part of the project, we are recruiting women to attend a Zoom event on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, where you can share your thoughts and experiences about:

• How alcohol misuse affects women.
• Barriers to getting help.
• What research should focus on next.

Female attendees ages 18+ are welcome to join if they meet any of the following criteria: 

• Lived experience with alcohol misuse (past or current), or
• Family member of a woman with alcohol misuse, or
• Healthcare provider or trainee specializing in alcohol misuse.

Attendees will receive a $150 prepaid cash card in thanks for their participation. If you are interested in participating, click here to register.



Everyone’s voice matters — we hope you’ll join the conversation!

By Jeff Winton

The people of rural America face many challenges that are inherent in the volatility of farming, ranching, agriculture, mining, fishing, and forestry – industries that are the foundation of the rural economy impacting 46 million rural residents. Add to that geographic isolation, and it’s easy to see how stress and anxiety become a normal part of life in rural communities. For all of these reasons, Rural Minds – the only national 501c3 nonprofit focused on confronting rural mental health challenges and the stigma that surrounds mental illness – is dedicated to rural mental health awareness every month and every day of the year.

We’re pleased to share that the video developed last year through a partnership between Pfizer, Rural Minds, and the National Grange – “Closing the Mental Health Gap Among Rural Youth in the U.S.” – was recognized at the 46th Annual Telly Awards with three awards in the following categories:

• GOLD | Adolescent Mental Health in rural areas: Branded Content General – Corporate Image  
• SILVER | Adolescent Mental Health in rural areas: Branded Content – Social Impact  
• SILVER | Adolescent Mental Health in rural areas: Branded Content – Advocacy & Causes 

The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. This year, the awards received more than 13,000 entries from across the globe and winners included leading global brands, respected organizations, and independent media companies.

The video was produced as part of a larger public awareness initiative by Pfizer and USA TODAY. We’re grateful to Pfizer for sponsoring this film and choosing Rural Minds to help shed light on the growing mental health crisis among youth in rural America. We also thank the National Grange for their partnership on this video, which featured National Grange Youth member Asheton Medlin and her mother, Debbie.

Jeff Winton is honored to have been selected as a member of the newly launched One Mind Community Advisory Network (OMCAN) and to serve as a mental health advocate for the 46 million people who live in rural America.

One Mind is a leading mental health nonprofit that harnesses the power of science and lived experience to improve mental health outcomes for individuals, families, and society. 

As part of the One Mind Lived Experience Council, OMCAN is a group of 30 mental health advocates who each brings lived experience – either personal or as a family member of someone living with a serious mental health condition – as well as professional expertise in mental health-related fields.

Click here to learn more about how OMCAN will help advance experience-informed leadership to build a mental health system that listens, includes, and involves.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Although it’s normal to experience feelings of fear, stress, and nervousness after a traumatic event, these feelings are extreme with PTSD and interfere with your ability to function in everyday life.

PTSD can also increase the risk for developing other mental health conditions including depression and anxiety disorders, alcohol or substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts.

If you have thoughts about harming yourself, seek help immediately. You can call or text 988. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24/7. 

Click here to download a PTSD Fact Sheet for information on PTSD symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, and resources. We thank Lundbeck for their support to develop this content.

A recording of the latest Rural Mental Health Connections webinar – “Mental Health Challenges Confronting Youth in Rural America” – is now available. 

This webinar featured:

• Dr. Eric Arzubi, Co-Founder & CEO of Frontier Psychiatry in Billings, Montana, sharing his observations as a psychiatrist treating adolescents in rural communities. 
• Asheton Medlin, a recent college graduate, sharing her personal experience with stigma surrounding mental illness and barriers to mental health that are unique to growing up in a rural community in North Carolina.
• Adriel McMahan, Rural Minds lead on the Rural Teen and Young Adult Mental Health pilot program, providing an update on the initiative.

Here are some highlights of the events that featured Rural Minds over the last few weeks to help raise awareness of rural mental health challenges and provide actionable information and resources for confronting the mental health crisis in rural America.

On April 17, Rural Minds Executive Director Chuck Strand presented a webinar to members of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries during which he highlighted the free materials available through the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program.

On April 29, Jeff was the keynote speaker at the annual Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club Rural Urban Day Luncheon in Westfield, NY.

On May 1, Chuck led a virtual presentation on rural mental health as part of the Spring into Wellness Conference held at Empire State University in Rochester, NY.

On May 3, Jeff was a guest on Chautauqua Sunrise with Doc Hamels during which he highlighted the growing incidence of mental illness and suicide among veterinarians. Click here to watch the interview.

Click on the links below for some of Rural Minds’ latest media coverage:

• RFD-TV – Farm Groups Are Pushing Back on the Possible Changes Coming to Rural Healthcare

• Drovers – Rural Minds: Breaking the Silence Around Mental Health in Agriculture

• Observer – ‘Callous’ Council Not Serving City

• The Daily Review – Mental Health in Rural America: Rural Minds

• The Post-Journal – Rural Minds Founder Speaks to Rotary Club

Be sure to visit the “Rural Minds in the News” webpage to see additional media coverage of Rural Minds that helps increase awareness about mental health challenges in rural America and the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Rural Minds depends on personal donations and corporate support to develop and distribute educational information and resources to improve mental health in rural America. Your donation to Rural Minds provides content and programs at no charge to help confront the mental health emergency in rural communities and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.