GFB News Magazine
CareSource invests $100,000 in farmer mental health programs
Posted on November 17, 2025 10:57 PM
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CareSource leaders Jason Anavitarte, second from left, & Jason Bearden, fifth from left, presented a $100,000 donation to the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture accepted by GFA Board Chairman Tom McCall, fourth from left. State legislators and officials who represent rural communities that will benefit from CareSource’s investment joined the presentation. Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
On Oct. 2, CareSource, a nonprofit, managed care organization that offers comprehensive health insurance plans, made a $100,000 investment to help the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA) expand farmer mental health programs statewide.
CareSource’s investment will fund programs offered through the GFA, Georgia Farm Bureau networks and the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance (GAWA) to deliver peer support, youth-focused wellness pilot programs, and community leader training designed to meet the unique mental health challenges farmers face.
“Georgia farmers feed our families and fuel the state’s economy, yet their own health and well-being are too often overlooked,” said Jason Anavitarte, senior director of strategic community partnerships and account management, CareSource Georgia. “Through this investment, CareSource aims to ensure every farmer has access to the care and resources they need to thrive.”
Georgia farmers face some of the highest levels of stress and isolation in the nation. A statewide survey conducted in 2022 by the GFA, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center and Mercer University School of Medicine found 42% of farmers surveyed reported suicidal thoughts the prior year. More than 60% of first-generation farmers said they had considered suicide.
Nearly 60% of farmers reported lacking access to basic medical care. Most said they could not access a psychologist in-person nor virtually. Visit https://gfb.ag/gfafarmermentalhealthstudy to read the study.
Following the survey findings, the GFA led a coordinated effort to build long-term support systems for farmer mental health.
“Farm families face enormous pressures, from financial stress to weather, and too often that burden takes a toll on their mental health,” said GFA Board Chairman & Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall. “Thanks to CareSource’s commitment, we can continue to build a strong, trusted network to ensure no farmer has to face these challenges alone.”
CareSource’s $100,000 investment will support GFA to:
Train hundreds of community leaders across Georgia in partnership with the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance
Launch Georgia’s first youth-focused mental wellness training programs in agriculture with 4-H & FFA members
Build a stronger statewide safety net through trusted, local peer networks
Equip counties to innovate while staying connected to a unified, data-backed strategy
“With partners like CareSource, we’re building a stronger safety net for Georgia’s agricultural community,” said Lily Rolader Baucom, GFA executive director. “This partnership is part of a strategy to embed care into the daily fabric of Georgia’s farming communities by equipping trusted peers with tools they can use immediately.”
As farmers continue to navigate financial uncertainty, climate-related disasters and isolation, Georgia’s farm stress response has grown from a small coalition into a statewide movement. CareSource’s investment will help to further scale the work of the GAWA and GFA to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health resources for farmers. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and UGA Extension have also partnered with GFA to address farmer mental health issues.
“We’re investing $100,000 toward addressing mental health and suicide prevention in our rural, farming communities because rural Georgia is the central nerve system of our state,” said Jason Bearden, president of CareSource’s Georgia Market. “It’s scary out there for farmers right now. I think last year was a wakeup call with Hurricane Helene and the challenges rural Georgia faced.”
CareSource makes health care accessible to 430,000 Georgians. The nonprofit offers health insurance plans including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare to its members.