Community connections, cultural healing practices and emotional well-being are at the center of a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa program that is building a peer support network for farmers, farmworkers, and paramedics and emergency medical technicians. The main goal—prevent suicide.
Strengthening essential workers
The Culturally-based Community Connections for Resilience (CCCR) project, led by Professor Thao Le of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR), has already trained 34 peer mentors in its first year. The project is gearing up to recruit more peer mentors in its second year with $598,906 funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Farmers and first responders often experience high-stress and uncertainty. Farmers face unpredictable markets and weather conditions, while first responders care for patients in traumatic situations.
“It may seem suicide is a lone event—it is not,” said Le, the principal investigator. “Disconnection and loneliness are salient factors. We need a course correction and can only do this when we create conditions for care and connections in our communities.”
Two recent articles from Le and her colleagues provided a potential tool to screen Hawaiʻi farmers for anxiety and depression, and highlighted the language and cultural gaps that prevent some local agriculture workers from getting mental health care.
Healing with nature
CCCR’s contribution lies in its attention to community and culture as modality for preventing suicide. Its culturally infused aims include:
- Creating a sustainable and collaborative peer-mentor network among Hawaiʻi‘s essential workers, giving them an internal support system.
- Reducing suicide and suicide risks by bolstering social connectedness and relationship building.
- Infusing culturally based healing practices into resilience training, recognizing that not everyone is comfortable with traditional therapy.
Embedding cultural practices led by Native Hawaiian practitioners is an essential component. This includes working in the loʻi (taro field) and connecting with nature at sites such as the Kīlauea volcano and the ocean. This approach allows farmers and first responders to restore and heal within their peers.
The federally funded CCCR model is drawing interest from other high-stress fields, such as the construction industry and 911 operators, suggesting a potent, scalable approach to building resilience across the state.
The program is a partnership with CTAHR, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services & Injury Prevention System Branch and Hoʻohanu, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting first responder mental health. It is also reaching out to connect with farmer and first responders focused nonprofits, suicide prevention and mental/behavioral health organizations.
The Hawaiʻi CARES 988 is a free crisis, mental health and substance use call center. Call or text 988 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit this website for more information.
