Good afternoon,

With the House back from recess, all eyes are now on Congress to avert a government shutdown by the end of the month. September has already seen its fair share of storms, but keep those hatches battened down – the political turmoil is bound to broil in the coming weeks.

STICKY STATES

• Though fall officially begins on Friday, in most of the country, the summer heat is sticking around. Also sticking around are natives of North Carolina, Minnesota, and Texas – some of the states with the highest shares of population retention.

• The share of people who are born in a state and stay there reflects how attractive the state is in terms of offering more job opportunities, relatively higher wages, and affordable housing costs. In this case, the stickier the better – check out how your state measures up.

GROWING RURAL AMERICA

• Regardless of the state, rural regions throughout the country have struggled to recover from pandemic job losses. To help spur economic growth and prosperity, OCP is proposing to include Growing Rural Opportunity and Wealth (GROWth) Plan grants in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization.

• GROWth Plan grants would provide funding for rural communities and support regionally-specific plans to guide rural revitalization, from development of housing, neighborhood, and commercial district rehabilitation to creation of transportation and energy programs.

• Greater access to planning and development tools will help level the playing field for rural communities when competing for economic development, and lift regions facing stagnation and decline. Read Growing Rural America here.

THE STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN RURAL AMERICA

• While rural authorities currently lack access to development plans and the financial resources to execute them, rural Americans more broadly struggle from a lack of access to mental health resources.

• This National Suicide Prevention Month, it is important to note that mental health and addiction have risen above health care access and quality as the top health care concerns rural stakeholders face – regardless of area of residence, gender, age, race/ethnicity, and employment.

• Mental health is an issue that is particularly pressing for American Indians and Alaska Natives, more than 113,000 of whom live in counties that lack mental health providers. Telehealth arose as a popular method of receiving mental health care during the pandemic, but rural Native counties that are mental health deserts also disproportionately lack broadband internet, presenting another barrier to care.

• Earlier this year, Alexa McKinley and Tara Haskins joined the Hot Dish podcast to discuss programs that work to improve mental health in rural America. Listen here.

• Bismarck Tribune: Potential for rural electric co-ops to tap millions for renewables projects
• Wall Street Journal: Help Wanted: Women to Fix America's Infrastructure
• Daily Yonder: Study Finds Gap Between What Rural Residents Want for End-of-Life Care and What They Receive
• Slate: There's a Problem With the Telehealth Revolution
• Axios: Poll: Americans believe AI will hurt elections
• New York Times: Congress Embarks on Spending Battle as Shutdown Looms at End of September

Be sure to follow the One Country Project on Twitter and Facebook, and check out The Hot Dish podcast.