Slide 2 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. Slide 3 Obstacles to Disaster Response and Recovery in Rural
Communities 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 Slide
4 Reduced Infrastructure 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) Slide 5
Reduced Infrastructure Long response times to remote areas
Emergency personnel may be volunteers A single HAZMAT team may be
shared by a large geographic area Slide 6 Fewer Mental Health
Resources 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 Slide 7
Poorer Economic Conditions 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 Slide 8 Rural Values 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.) Slide 9 Communities
Feeling Neglected 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 Slide 10 Assisting Rural Communities in Recovery
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 Slide 11 Coordinate and Use Local Resources
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 Slide 12
Enlist Help of Cooperative Extension 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/extensionwww.uvm.edu/extension Extension Education
Network http://eden.lsu.edu/Pages/default.aspx Slide 13 Cooperative
Extension 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 Slide
14 Respect Rural Value System Respect desire for self-reliance
Consider local customs when responding Decrease stigma of
help-seeking Solicit opinions of residents when developing response
plans Slide 15 Contact Building Capacity: [email protected] For more
information about UVM Extensions Building Capacity programs, visit
our website:
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/community/buildingcapacity/