Non Technical Summary
The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene generated significant mental health challenges for farming communities in Western North Carolina (WNC) and other agricultural communities in North Carolina. Post-Helene, farmers, farmworkers, foresters, other agricultural workers, and their families experienced emotional stress and financial hardships from crop, livestock, and other farm losses in addition to other natural disaster-related personal tragedies. These challenges affect not only individuals but also the broader community, including the region's economy and agricultural systems. Addressing these mental health needs is essential to supporting the recovery of affected communities and ensuring the long-term stability of agriculture in the region.The NC Agromedicine Institute's NC Farm Stress Program will provide relief and recovery by offering targeted mental health support. Key objectives include: (1) expanding the NC Farm Stress Directory to include natural disaster-related resources, (2) expanding the NC Farm Help Line to offer 24/7 resource help, crisis intervention, and emotional support, (3) training farmers and other agricultural workers in psychological first aid and other mental health literacy (4) offering free mental health sessions, and (5) generating a project impact report. This initiative is designed to provide evidence-based and much-needed support to build resilience and promote long-term recovery of WNC farming communities, while strengthening the foundation for future preparedness and response of other agricultural communities.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
807	6099	3020	50%
724	6099	3020	50%

Knowledge Area
807 - Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery; 724 - Healthy Lifestyle;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
Project GoalThe goal of this project is to address the mental health needs of Western North Carolina (WNC) farming communities and other agricultural communities impacted by Hurricane Helene by providing targeted interventions, resources, and support to build resilience and promote long-term recovery.Project ObjectivesObjective 1: Expand the Farm Stress Resource Directory. Update the directory to include new mental health and disaster-related mental health resources, with a focus on serving FEMA-designated disaster areas affected by Hurricane Helene.Objective 2: Increase the Capacity of the NC Farm Help Line.Enhance the NC Farm Help Line by partnering with HopeLine, Inc to provide 24/7 access and continuous emotional and crisis support tailored to agricultural communities.Objective 3: Educate Peer Farmers and Agricultural Support Workers. Train 50 peer farmers and 200 agricultural support workers in psychological first aid and disaster-related mental health literacy to enable them to offer immediate and effective support in their communities in response and preparation to natural disaster.Objective 4: Provide 250 No-Cost Mental Health Service Encounters.Deliver counseling and triage services to agricultural participants, ensuring accessible, culturally competent care to those most impacted by the disaster.Objective 5: Generate a Project Impact Report.Compile and analyze data on resource utilization, training outcomes, and service delivery to produce a comprehensive report summarizing the project's impact and informing future proposals and disaster recovery efforts.?

Project Methods
General Scientific MethodsThe project incorporates best scientific practices and other unique, evidence-based methods to address disaster-related mental health challenges in agricultural communities. These methods include:Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping: Use existing data, professional work groups, and stakeholder consultations to identify mental health needs and gaps in services.Evidence-Based Training, Education, and Services: Provide culturally informed, evidence-based deliverables to target audiences.Provide accredited such as Listen. Protect. Connect. (LPC) Psychological First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, Question. Persuade. Refer. and other widely recognized mental health literacy education programs to meet community needs.Provide evidence-based agricultural competency training to licensed mental health providers through established curricula such as AgriSafe's FarmResponse and other peer-reviewed resources.Provide mental health support through the NC Farm Help Line by partnering with HopeLine, Inc. whose operators are trained in suicide prevention, active listening, crisis intervention, and other evidence-based mental health literacy education.Data Collection: The project uses mixed methods to collect data that align with current best scientific practices, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of its impact. Quantitative data includes service utilization metrics (e.g., calls to the NC Farm Help Line, counseling sessions provided), training participation rates, and resource distribution numbers. Qualitative data is gathered through participant feedback and open-ended survey responses.Data Analysis: Data analysis incorporates descriptive statistics, pre- and post-intervention comparisons, and thematic analysis to assess changes in knowledge, actions, and conditions among participants. Results are validated through mixed-methods approaches and stakeholder reviews.Unique Aspects or Significant Departures from Usual MethodsThe project integrates innovative approaches that address the unique challenges of disaster-affected agricultural communities:Peer Mentorship: Expand the Farmer-to-Farmer mentoring program to offer reliable, community-based emotional support during natural disasters by training peer mentors and providing stipends as incentives. This approach encourages active participation and ensures mentors report their sessions, fostering accountability and maximizing the program's reach and impact.Multi-Modal Outreach: Combine digital and traditional outreach strategies, including online directories, print materials, and radio ads, to ensure accessibility across rural areas.Efforts. The project integrates efforts to cause change by increasing knowledge through education on psychological first aid and disaster recovery techniques, raising awareness of mental health resources, and improving mental health literacy among peer farmers, agricultural support workers, and providers through culturally relevant training programs. It promotes action by encouraging help-seeking behavior through free, accessible counseling and triage services and increasing the use of mental health services and peer mentoring support while addressing barriers like stigma and accessibility. Additionally, it improves conditions by enhancing community resilience, reducing stigma, and strengthening networks of trained individuals and organizations to foster long-term preparedness for future disasters, with ongoing evaluation to ensure effectiveness and guide future improvements.Evaluation. Evaluation and interpretation involve tracking participation in training programs, mentoring sessions, service encounters, and the use of the NC Farm Help Line, as well as monitoring resource directory distribution and provider training completions. Data collection includes qualitative feedback through open-ended surveys to assess perceived impact. Analysis focuses on evaluating changes in knowledge, behavior, resilience, and preparedness by examining pre- and post-intervention surveys, service usage trends, and feedback. Outcome measurement quantifies the project's impact through metrics (e.g., number of trained individuals, counseling sessions provided, mentoring activities conducted, and help line and crisis calls), providing a comprehensive assessment of the project's reach, effectiveness, and ability to improve mental health outcomes, community engagement, and service accessibility.