A Maine state senator plans to submit legislation addressing a lack of mental health resources for workers in heritage industries such as fishing, logging, and farming, seeking to reduce stigma and expand access to wellness support in rural communities.
Democrat Senator Henry Ingwersen, who represents York and serves on both the Health and Human Services Committee and Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, believes legislation would help address mental health challenges specific to outdoor industry workers. Maine is one of the most rural states in the country and heavily relies on heritage industries encompassing outdoor jobs. Employees in these fields face intense physical labor in all weather conditions and stress from meeting deadlines.
The industries are heavily male-dominated, and Ingwersen says he has received feedback from workers who do not know where to turn for wellness resources and feel too afraid to ask for help. Recent data from the CDC shows 80% of all suicides in 2023 involved men. Ingwersen says the issue hits close to home for him, as he has seen family members of colleagues struggle with mental health, including a lobsterman who took his own life. He believes cultural attitudes may contribute to the problem, noting, “Men, we’ve been taught to hold it in and that to buck it up, get out there and get fishing. or if it’s just the fact that it’s rural and independent and you can take care of yourself, I think that might be some of the problem.”
Ingwersen’s bill would create a group to develop solutions to mental health and wellness in heritage industries. The group would include workers in these industries as well as officials from the departments of agriculture, fisheries, and health and human services, bringing together stakeholders to identify barriers and craft targeted interventions for this underserved population.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-lawmaker-plans-to-submit-mental-health-resources-bill-for-heritage-industries-farming-fishing-logging-agriculture-conservation-and-forestry-committee