Health Update: Sen. Ingwersen bill to promote mental health and wellness in heritage industries signed into law – What Experts Say

On Monday, March 23, a bill from Senator Henry Ingwersen,
D-Arundel, was signed into law. LD 2144, “Resolve, to Establish a Working Group
to Prioritize Wellness and Mental Health Resources for Heritage Industries,”
will create a working group to meet and produce policy recommendations to
address the mental health needs of Maine’s farmers, fishermen and loggers.

“No matter the weather, I think about the hardworking men
and women who labor in our heritage industries: farming, fishing and logging,”
said Sen. Ingwersen. “The weather, of course, has a real impact on their lives.
It creates an expectation that they be adaptable, resilient and tough. And they
are. But even so, these folks experience significant mental health challenges,
exacerbated by physical stress, isolation and the lack of accessible physical
and mental health services in Maine’s rural areas. With this bill, we can take
action to address the mental health challenges of our neighbors, experienced
through no fault or failure of their own — but because of the demands and
stress of their labor.”

The working group will include members from the Department
of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; the Department of Health and Human
Services; the Department of Marine Resources; the University of Maine
Cooperative Extension; the agriculture industry, the fishing industry; the
forestry or logging industry; a statewide mental health services organization;
an occupational health and safety organization; an expert in rural public
health services; and a statewide organization that delivers community services.
Among other duties, it will examine the impact of a lack of access to primary
care services in rural areas, where heritage industries are largely located.

The working group will produce a report by Dec. 1, 2026.
Subsequently, the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; the
Committee on Health and Human Services; and the Committee on Marine Resources
will be able to submit legislation based on the report’s recommendations to the
133rd Maine Legislature in 2027.

Recently, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension
conducted a survey, revealing that 61% of respondents from agriculture,
aquaculture and wild-harvest fisheries identified the need for increased public
education to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health. Suicide
rates remain higher for agriculture, fishing and forestry occupation groups.

In an opinion piece, Monique Coombs, the Director of
Community Programs at the Maine Coastal Fishermen’s Association, co-wrote,
“Both [fishermen and restaurant owners] quietly carry extraordinary mental and
emotional strain that is essential to acknowledge if we want Maine’s food
system to endure.” Further on, she notes, “Mental health challenges in these
industries don’t always look like crisis. More often, they show up as
exhaustion, irritability, isolation and a sense that there’s no room to slow
down.”

As non-emergency legislation, LD 2144 will go into effect 90
days after the Legislature adjourns.