Texoma leaders work together to make mental health resources more accessible

DURANT, Okla. (KXII) -Texas and Oklahoma leaders came together to discuss how they can make mental health resources more accessible in rural areas like Texoma.

“Mental health doesn’t know any social or economic situation in life,” said Kenneth Corn, USDA Rural Development State Director for Oklahoma.

Whether you live in an urban or a rural area, mental health should be a priority.

“I think there’s a number of things that causes an increase in mental health crises. COVID certainly has been one of them, the isolations that people face, increased pressure from jobs and families and schools,” Corn said.

The Inaugural Texoma Rural Mental Health Summit was held by the USDA Rural Development at the Choctaw Nation Headquarters in Durant Tuesday.

“We have about 100 people here. It’s school administrators, it’s judges, it’s law enforcement, it’s community activists. Just anybody in a community that’s concerned about what’s happening and how they can solve the problem,” said Corn.

And the problem at hand is how people in rural communities have limited access to mental health help than those who live in urban areas, “some of the challenges have to do with access to care, not enough physicians and healthcare professionals in those communities. Transportation is certainly an issue, the ability to have funding is also limited in many rural communities,” Corn said.

The USDA is looking for solutions, “how we can bring both the weight of the federal government, state governments, nonprofits, and tribal entities together to help address the crisis,” Corn said.

At the summit, law enforcement and court appointees also shared their first hand experiences of how mental health affects their field, “people involved in law enforcement are, become sort of the first responders for people suffering [with a] mental health crisis,” said Lillian Salerno, USDA Rural Development State Director for Texas.

A mental health crisis can happen to anyone so it’s important to have resources available to all, no matter where they live.

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