This week's episode is the first in a limited series we're calling "Moments of Growth." We had some big milestones this year, and we wanted to look back and talk to people that we've worked with and share the progress they've made (and us, too!) this past year. This first episode is about mental health programming. Awhile back, our local healthcare network, Catholic Health Initiatives, did a needs assessment for our community. Like many rural communities, mental health was at the top of the list. We formed a Mental Health Coalition comprised of people in our community who are simply interested in and willing to work on this issue in our community, and you're hearing from some of the people involved with that today! In this episode, we talk about the challenges of mental health programming in rural areas, COVID-19's impact on mental health, and suicide awareness, among other things, and hear from four people deeply involved in this work in different ways. In this episode, we hear from:

• Josh Gow, Director of Mission at CHI Oakes Hospital
• Monica McConkey, Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Consultant
• Michele Thorpe, psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner
• Dani Dinger, Family and Community Wellness Extension Agent with NDSU

Links and Resources Mentioned: Monica was a guest on the podcast! You can find her episode here: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode117