Saturday, November 23, 2024
11/23/2024
Rural, agricultural-based communities in the North and South Dakota provide essential services and products for the economy. However, this population also experiences unique challenges such as job-related injuries, limited access to health care, and lack of confidentiality within their communities that increase their risk of opioid/stimulant misuse. To address this risk, South Dakota State University Extension and North Dakota State University Extension will partner to expand programming efforts established in 2018 that provide virtual trainings and resources on opioid/stimulant misuse to rural community members, Extension professionals, and other front-line staff working with the target population. Access to mental health services to address symptoms of stress is lacking in most rural farming/ranching communities, with 90% of North and South Dakota counties considered mental health shortage areas. And even where services are available, few mental health professionals understand the specific stressors related to agriculture (Hartley, Ziller, Loux, Gale, Lambert, & Yousefian, 2007). Given that both states are sparsely populated, while covering a large geographic area, access to virtual trainings and educational materials is vital. The current project will address this gap in services by providing rural technical assistance through the Extension network at SDSU and NDSU, and through established partnerships with community-based agencies. SDSU/NDSU Extension will work with the State Opioid Response teams in both states to accomplish the following goals: 1) Increase access to research-informed educational tools related to opioid/stimulant misuse to Extension professionals and healthcare providers in rural SD and ND communities, and 2) Increase knowledge and empathy related to opioid/stimulant misuse among members of rural communities in SD and ND. Progress toward Goal 1 will be accomplished through the following objectives: 1) Host 2 virtual conferences, one annually, related to the prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid/stimulant misuse for at least 100 attendees per conference; 2) Hire addictions specialists to develop 5 research-informed, virtual modules for an online repository of training materials related to the prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid/stimulant misuse by the end of Y1; 3) Train 10 Extension, prevention, or mental health professionals to facilitate the addictions treatment and recovery simulation by the end of Y2; and 4) Train 60 facilitators in the CRAFT intervention by the end of Y2; and 5) Collaborate quarterly with statewide partners. Progress toward Goal 2 will be assessed through the following objectives: 1) Provide an evidence-emerging opioid misuse prevention curriculum to a minimum of 3,000 youth or adults per year; 2) Provide the CRAFT intervention to 36 families by the end of Y2; 3) Develop an addictions treatment and recovery simulation by the end of Y1; 4) Provide the addictions treatment and recovery simulation to at least 1,000 individuals by the end of Y2; 5) Mail quarterly educational resources to all county/regional Extension offices, rural schools, partner agencies, and rural community members in each state; 6) Develop and maintain an online repository of research-informed training materials related to the prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid/stimulant misuse by the end of Y2; 7) Maintain a project website and social media platforms to promote online trainings and up-to-date educational resources through at least 15 posts/updates per quarter; and 8) Collaborate quarterly with statewide partners. The collaboration is expected to reach approximately 3,500 individuals annually across ND and SD, with a total project reach of 5,000 unduplicated individuals. The proposed project will expand upon successful statewide efforts established over the past two-year collaboration to provide materials and services directly to rural community members and service providers.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
