Cooperative extension as a key partner to behavioral health in rural communities.

Abstract

Since its beginning, the opioid crisis has been unrelenting and remains one of the most challenging public health problems to solve. This is especially true in rural communities which are disproportionately impacted. Although some initiatives to address overdose and poisoning deaths have found success, significant challenges remain (e.g., fentanyl, workforce shortages). To close this gap, it will take shared leadership and partnership with community-based organizations as key collaborators to strengthen health systems and related opioid outcomes. The present article proposes an expanded role for the nation's Cooperative Extension System in opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery through a local Health Extension Agent. Leveraging the extension system is especially important in rural and underserved communities. Building on key strengths of the extension network and guidance of national frameworks, this role would serve as an intermediary linking community members and programs, health care providers, and addiction prevention and treatment experts to facilitate access and uptake of evidence-based promotion, prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies. We propose core functions of a Health Extension Agent including (a) provision of training and technical assistance, (b) facilitation of community partnerships and shared resources, and (c) dissemination of evidence-based programs and/or approaches driven by community need. Given the key strengths of extension, this system is well poised as a key contributor to addressing the behavioral health continuum from promotion through recovery related to opioid misuse. Public Health Significance StatementRural communities are disproportionately impacted by opioid use and related consequences. Collaboration between health providers and community organizations is critical to a comprehensive approach addressing opioid use. This article describes how a Health Extension Agent approach can facilitate collaboration to support rural behavioral health.

The Role of Cooperative Extension in Delivering Training and Technical Assistance to Support Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Practices in Rural Communities

“…A key strength of the Extension system is the available infrastructure, capacity to reach rural audiences, and established role as a trusted community partner (Buys & Rennekamp, 2020). Extension's trusted relationship with community members and partners serves to both translate research to communities as well as facilitate adoption of EBPs (Le et al, 2016;Weybright, et al, 2024).…”