Good afternoon,

Today is World Mental Health Day. Mental and behavioral health concerns have too long been shrouded in stigma, preventing many from seeking the help necessary for their well-being. Rural communities are acutely challenged: children in rural areas with mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders face more community and family challenges than their urban counterparts, and suicide death rates in rural areas skyrocketed, increasing 25.5 percent from 2011 to 2021, compared to 12.4 percent in metro areas. Policies that expand early intervention and screenings, increase access to appropriate care and treatment, and end the stigma of mental illness will help address the ongoing rural mental health crisis.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting Talk to 741741 to connect with a professional waiting to help you.

CLEAN ENERGY ACTION

• October is National Clean Energy Action Month. Rural America is playing an essential role in leading the clean energy transition, with $11 billion from the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that is helping to create a resilient grid and a strong rural economy fueled by clean energy.

• The clean energy transition is full speed ahead: renewable energy is expected to overtake coal as the world's largest source of electricity in the next two years.

• President Biden's administration is working to streamline the adoption of renewables. The U.S. has committed to reaching 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. The IRA, which devotes $369 billion to climate and clean energy efforts, will play a major role in not only increasing renewable energy production, but also in construction and manufacturing jobs along the way.

• Thanks to the IRA investments, over 140,000 clean energy jobs have already been created, with over one million more to be added by 2030, stimulating rural and energy communities and continuing the 33-month-long streak of job gains under President Biden's leadership. Read OCP's full statement on September's jobs report here.

MAY I ASK WHO'S SPEAKING?

• While Democrats in Congress are working to build a bright future fueled by renewable energy, House Republicans have repeatedly threatened to repeal parts of the IRA. Their ongoing dysfunction is further imperiling funding rollouts, as the second election of a speaker for the 118th Congress holds up all legislative movement. Not that a new Republican Speaker of the House would necessarily help ― check out where contenders stand on climate issues.

• According to Politico, though, there may be a silver lining to this tempestuous political climate: with Representative Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ousted from speakership, House Rules Chair Tom Cole, R.-Okla., says that the deals he made with the far-right to get the post may be voided. That would nullify the deep cuts to government programs promised to the far-right and may expedite passage of the Ag-FDA appropriations bill.

• The Ag-FDA bill is one of 12 spending bills needed to fund the government. Once those clear, Congress' next major hurdle is the Farm Bill. Now that the legislation has lapsed, it is more critical than ever that members of Congress prioritize passing a new Farm Bill that sets a new agenda for rural America— one that bolsters rural communities' economy and productivity, and builds policy to ensure that Americans can keep living and working in rural regions. Learn about OCP's Farm Bill priorities here.

• OCP board members former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels condemned Hamas' attack on Israeli citizens.

• KCUR: As rural residents age, some Kansas and Missouri communities step up to help
• Axios: What rural health providers want from Washington
• Wisconsin Watch: Pandemic brings telehealth boom to rural Wisconsin, but barriers linger
• News Medical: What mobile clinics in dollar general parking lots say about health care in rural America
• The Bump: Childcare Costs More Than College in These 28 States, New Study Shows
• NPR: Kentucky had an outside-the-box idea to fix child care worker shortages. It's working
• Oregon Public Broadcasting: As water becomes less accessible, Oregon farmers are trying to adapt

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