Rural Behavioral Health Resilience Zone Initiatives: A Science-Driven Community Outreach Approach
In recognition of the mounting needs in Iowa’s rural communities, ISU Extension and Outreach organized a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force that required development of a plan for Extension to identify support for Iowa’s COVID-19 recovery efforts (ISU Extension and Outreach Office of the Vice President, 2021). Task force members identified challenges facing Iowans and their communities and proposed initiatives that Extension could address. This project directly responds to the stated rationale for these initiatives, including (1) recognition of the role that rural community members often serve as the “first responders” to those in need of behavioral health support, (2) prioritization of proactive prevention and support programs that engage community members in addressing behavioral health and substance misuse issues, and (3) identification of innovative supports as key to optimizing implementation delivery and long-term sustainability. Collectively, 31 Iowa counties selected mental health or related educational opportunities as a ‘primary initiative’ based on unique, local gaps in service in each of their respective counties.
Our planned approach will integrate PROSPER Partnership Model components into the implementation of rural “Resilience Zone Initiatives (RZIs)”. By doing so, our approach expands the delivery of research-and evidence-based programs that address rural community needs through a sustainable community-driven model, guided by a proven delivery system. In turn, our approach meets a need identified through the COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives supported by ISU Extension and Outreach Extension.
An assessment will be conducted to assist Extension and other key stakeholders, in order to (1) identify root causes of problems and gaps in resilience-oriented services and (2) help support planning and delivery of a unique set of locally selected programs from a menu of options. This process will not only be responsive to current adversities our rural youth are confronting by addressing substance misuse and associated behavioral health issues but also allows for a more flexible, readiness-driven approach to developing collaborations and institutionalization of efforts. This process also supplements counties’ capacity for addressing behavioral health issues and, more broadly, applies a current capacity-building framework for Extension’s science-based behavioral health.
Principal Investigator: Greg Pliler
Co-Principal Investigator: Richard Spoth
Funder: National Institute of Food and Agriculture