Vision West ND issued the following announcement.
Successful Summit on Behavioral Health in Energy Country
On behalf of Vision West ND, thank you to everyone who attended the Summit on Behavioral Health in Energy Country.
The interactions between participants, community leaders and health professionals spread an educational light on present behavioral health issues affecting our communities. Stress levels steadily increased during the pandemic and continued as everyone adjusted to the new “normal.” These stressors, atop the stress of daily living, have caused an increase in substance abuse and mental health disorders. Speakers addressed issues including treatment and support for substance abuse disorders, COVID-19's effect on mental health, suicide prevention, normalizing sobriety, and the stressors of the agriculture industry. An interactive student panel allowed participants to understand the mental health challenges high school students are currently facing, followed by addressing mental health at a collegiate level. Additional subjects included a panel on the legislative outlook on behavioral health, plus motivating presentations to encourage participants to effect change in these areas. Participants were offered insight and resources to help combat these issues in their lives and/or fields of work. Skills learned from the Summit can be taken home to families, workplaces, and communities to help mitigate and embrace behavioral health issues. Steps such as this can help western North Dakota make a difference in rural communities.
Original source can be found here.
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