DO YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR NEIGHBORS AS CLOSE AS YOUR CROP OR HERD?

Who is the Colorado HAY Initiative?

We are a growing number of rural citizens and organizations coming together to support each other when encountering “rural stress” and these efforts are by Axis Health System. Where did this work get started?  In the fall of 2018, a group of rural citizens in agriculture noticed a significant spike in the number of agricultural related suicides in rural eastern Colorado and realized that there was not an outreach and marketing effort that focuses on our agricultural families and employers.

What We Do

We travel getting our message out, “Do you look after your neighbors as close as your crop or herd?”  And while our focus does lean heavily into the rural agricultural world, our work is more than that.  

1) We provide comfortable venues to host both formal and informal meetings where we have solution-focused conversations specific to the region.

2) We help organizations understand the importance of messaging and becoming culturally competent when addressing rural stressors.

3) We recognize that mental health functions on a spectrum and provide free COMET™ (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) Training to teach people how to intervene when they encounter someone who is in a “vulnerable space” and help shift the person’s mental health trajectory back to a place of wellness

4) We promote the Gun Shop Project. The GSP is a community-driven education and awareness project, through the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, that partners with firearm advocates, gun shops, firing ranges, and other members of the firearm community to adopt and promote a firearm safety and suicide prevention message.

Where Has This Work Been Featured?   

The New York Times, Rocky Mountain PBS, Successful Farming Magazine, the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference, the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Conference, the NACHC Conference for Agricultural Worker Health, the Community Health Association of Mountains/Plains States, the Dakota Conference on Rural Public Health, and the Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference to name a few. 

Who Do We Work With?   

While not a complete list, we have worked closely with Colorado State University-Extension, West Texas A&M, the University of Colorado/High Plains Research Network, Colorado Agrability, Adams State University, Otero College, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Colorado Farm Bureau, the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, and the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

What We Need

We are always looking for individuals and businesses to help us in spreading our message, and dedicate their time, logo, and available space when applicable to looking after their neighbors. Attending and advocating for various mental health trainings, promoting events, and committing to addressing rural stress with us is all we ask! As a partner, we will add your logo to local marketing efforts with your permission