The Special Concerns of Rural Communities

1. The Special Concerns of Rural Communities Adapted from Natural Rural Behavioral Health Center (NRBHC) In Production with University of Florida Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. August 2011.

2. Reduced response infrastructure • Fewer mental health resources • Poorer economic conditions and economic reliance on “open-field” operations and local businesses • Rural values of independence and self-reliance • Communities may feel neglected Obstacles to Disaster Response and Recovery in Rural Communities

3. Fewer health care professionals and limited hospital capacity (could be further stretched if they do not report to work during a disaster) • Lack of specialized training, money for training (physicians and response personnel) Reduced Infrastructure

4. Long response times to remote areas • Emergency personnel may be volunteers • A single HAZMAT team may be shared by a large geographic area Reduced Infrastructure

5. Barriers to mental health care in rural areas • Fewer providers/specialty providers-few rural and frontier counties have specialty mental health providers (e.g. child psychiatry) • Distance to providers • Insurance coverage • Stigma for seeking help Fewer Mental Health Resources

6. Destruction of crops, livestock, or land can mean the end of a family business • Rural economic structure highly interlocked, reliance on natural resources • Damage to open-field operations leads to trickle-down effect in local economy • Higher poverty rates Poorer Economic Conditions

7. Some residents may be reluctant to accept assistance • People fear being stigmatized if they seek help for stress • Lack of trust in outside agencies • Need make use of local resources (Extension, community groups, CAP Agencies, faith based organizations, etc.) Rural Values

8. If disaster effects both rural and urban areas, rural communities may feel overlooked and perceive that aid is directed towards urban areas • Regardless of whether this is true, residents may feel increased frustration from this perception of being overlooked Communities Feeling Neglected

9. Coordinate and use local resources • Irene Relief Aid and Recovery: • http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/about_us/efficiency_vermont_news/Irene/general_info/irene_recovery.aspx • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: • http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/ • Vermont Recovery Flood Resource Guide: • http://leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/VT%20Flood%20guide%20FINAL%20090111-%20FEMA%20IA.pdf Assisting Rural Communities in Recovery

10. Natural Resources Conservation Service: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/emergency_nrcsoffice_contacts.pdf Vermont 2-1-1 http://www.vermont211.org/ Vermont Agency of Agriculture http://www.vermontagriculture.com/ VT Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) http://asci.uvm.edu/vteden/?Page=hazards/floods.html Coordinate and Use Local Resources

11. Cooperative Extension is a key resource in rural counties • Education and preparedness efforts • Response that is sensitive to local issues • To find your local UVM Extension office go the following link: www.uvm.edu/extension • Extension Education Network • http://eden.lsu.edu/Pages/default.aspx Enlist Help of Cooperative Extension

12. Extension can also play an important role in training other community volunteers • “Train the Trainer” models • Community & Leadership Development • http://www.uvm.edu/extension/community/?Page=leadership.html Cooperative Extension

13. Respect desire for self-reliance • Consider local customs when responding • Decrease stigma of help-seeking • Solicit opinions of residents when developing response plans Respect Rural Value System

14. For more information about UVM Extension’s Building Capacity programs, visit our website: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/community/buildingcapacity/ Contact Building Capacity:capacity@uvm.edu