Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:AgWell Project: Target Audience:Farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their families in Colorado. This includes individuals facing financial issues, legal challenges, land access problems, and mental health stressors related to their agricultural work. 2. Together We Grow/Juntos Crecemos Project: Target Audience:Primarily immigrant communities involved in farming, gardening, or ranching. This includes farmworkers, volunteers, contractors, and their families. The project also aims to reach those who have experienced loss due to suicide or tragic accidents within these communities. 3. AgrAbility NIFA Grant Project: Target Audience:Agricultural workers and their families who have disabilities or disabling conditions that affect their ability to work in agriculture. This includes individuals needing assistive technology, equipment adaptations, or support to remain in their chosen field. 4. Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program (CAAMHP): Target Audience:All individuals who work in support of Colorado's agriculture. This includes farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and anyone involved in the agricultural sector who may be experiencing mental health challenges, addiction issues, or stress related to their work. The program also specifically aims to reduce stigma and reach men in agriculture who may be less likely to seek help. 5. Coffee Break Project: Target Audience:Specifically, the agricultural community in the Rocky Ford and Crowley County areas of Colorado. This includes farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and their families who may benefit from community support, mental health resources, and crisis intervention training Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?"Train the Trainer" Session? for COMET training How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through various means including social media, organized promotinal campaigns, word of mouth, radio ads, and more What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
?AgWell Mental Health Needs Assessment and Stressor Identification: AgWell engaged with the agricultural community through workshops and feedback sessions to assess mental health needs and identify key stressors, including financial issues, legal challenges, and land access. COMET Training: AgWell trained 12 individuals to deliver COMET (a crisis intervention) training. Over the three-year grant, AgWell delivered over 10 COMET training courses and other trainings focused on COMET skills for supporting others. Professional Consultation and Assistance Pilot Program: AgWell reallocated grant funds to provide farmers and ranchers with professional consultation in areas such as grant writing, legal matters, financial planning, and succession strategies. 12 farmers and ranchers participated, and 8 completed before-and-after service interviews, which suggested a reduction in stress levels after receiving expert guidance. Grant Database: AgWell created a grant database for farmers and ranchers to access information on available grants. Marketing and Outreach: AgWell conducted marketing and outreach efforts, including digital and print advertising, social media campaigns, and informational sessions at agricultural events. This outreach reached thousands of farmers. AgWell also printed and distributed 100 ag stress and well-being card decks. Together We Grow/Juntos Crecemos Project (La Plata Family Centers Coalition): Family Yoga/Wellness Workshops: A Wellness Facilitator offered these workshops, which incorporated healing practices through artistic creation and expression. Workshops were provided in English and Spanish with simultaneous interpreting. Individual Mental Health Sessions: Mary Katherine, the Contracted Mental Health Facilitator, provided monthly individual mental health sessions. Group Mental Health Sessions: Mary Katherine also offered group mental health sessions at the Pond Farm during workdays over the weekend, aiming to engage participants in a familiar setting. Community Conversations: Eight Community Conversations were held, primarily focused on immigrant communities involved in farming, gardening, or ranching. Artisan Market Outreach: Participation in summer Artisan Markets to provide resources and reach out to farmers and ranchers selling their products. Grievance Outreach/Support: The Mental Health Provider offered a special opportunity at the Food Market for those who lost a family member or friend to suicide or tragic accident. Food Distribution: The LPFCC Parent Leader Network and staff distributed 6,500 food boxes. Fresh Produce Distribution: Immigrant farmworkers, volunteers, contractors, and staff grew and distributed over 25,000 pounds of fresh produce. Film Showing: Support for the showing of the film "Legacy: Stories of Healing and Hope" at the Durango Public Library in 2024. Website and Social Media Materials: Materials were shared on the LPFCC website and social media to raise awareness of services. Interpreting and Translation Services: Facilitation of interpreting and translation of materials for websites and events. AgrAbility Increased Access to Mental Health Awareness and Care: "AgrAbility staff built trust with farmers and ranchers with physical limitations, making them more comfortable discussing mental health. Addressing disability impacts reduces stressors. Funding for equipment modifications empowered individuals and reduced stress. All AgrAbility clients since 2021 were informed about behavioral health resources, including CAAMHP, increasing awareness and access. Many clients connected with these resources and shared information with others, expanding the reach of support. Reduced Barriers to Work for Agricultural Workers with Disabilities: Approximately 133 clients were served between 2021-2024. Seventeen individuals and their families received assistance through the NIFA grant to adapt equipment or modify work tasks. Recipients shared how the funding helped reduce stress and increased confidence, even after experiencing an injury or illness resulting in disability. Everyone who received this service shared information about the AgrAbility Project, NIFA funding, and behavioral health services with their neighbors and friends facing similar struggles. Increased Access to Training: Staff held winter workshops focused on information, instruction, and support related to addressing disabling conditions and exploring assistive technology. One-on-one information was provided on these topics for each individual enrolled in the AgrAbility program. Overall Impact: The project provided one-on-one consultations with approximately 133 individuals, often including family members, which focused on building trust and providing information, resources, educational materials, and counsel to improve work safety and independence, reducing stressors. Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program Provision of Therapy Hours: CAAMHP offers 6 free therapy sessions by licensed behavioral health providers specifically trained to serve the needs of Colorado's agricultural sector. 764 hours of culturally responsive therapy were provided to 165 individual utilizers during the specific CDA funding period. National Recognition: CAAMHP is recognized as one of the top voucher programs nationally in utilization and is sought out for consultation by other states. Stigma Reduction: Notable increases in male utilization of services, indicating a reduction in stigma around seeking behavioral health care, particularly among men in agriculture. Addressing Specific Needs: Clinical hours were directed towards marital/family/interpersonal problems, coping with agricultural stressors, and addressing substance misuse. Community Partnerships: Strong collaborations with numerous community partners, including the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Department of Agriculture, CSU Extension, and others. Impact of "Legacy" Film: The "Legacy" film has approximately 3,800 views on YouTube and has been featured at community events, film festivals, and national platforms, increasing awareness and reducing stigma. Nearly 600 Coloradans attended the 13 community events featuring the "Legacy" film, and 130 people not related to agriculture also attended, increasing awareness of agricultural stressors. Increased Utilization: Overall, CAAMHP has provided a total of 903 hours of therapy to over 200 community members involved in Colorado Agriculture. The Coffee Break Project Overall Project Growth and Community Engagement: Increased Community Reach: The Coffee Break Project (CBP) in Rocky Ford saw significant community engagement, with more than 150 unduplicated community members visiting during the duration of the grant Mental Health Resource: The CBP established itself as a consistent mental health resource for the agricultural community, with multiple community members visiting regularly and using it as an access point for mental health support Expansion to Ordway: The Southeast Health Group (SHG) Ordway office was furnished and opened to the public in November 2021, preparing to provide similar services to the agriculture community in Crowley County as the CBP in Rocky Ford Successful COMET Training Delivery: SHG successfully facilitated 8 COMET (crisis intervention) training sessions with nearly 100 people attending "Train the Trainer" Session: Held in Greeley in January 2022, expanding the capacity to deliver COMET training. SHG also provided COMET trainings specifically for SHG employees Reaching New Audiences: COMET training was successfully delivered to Otero Junior College students, expanding the reach beyond the immediate community Farm and Ranch Care Boxes: SHG began putting together farm and ranch care boxes for delivery in April 2022, and deliveries were made in April 2022, providing direct support to the agricultural community.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this award is farmers and ranchers in rural Colorado experiencing mental health issues around stress, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. We have three sub awardees with state-side reach: Colorado Farm Bureau, Goodwill/AgrAbility and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. In addition we have two that are region specific but cover all of south eastern and the south west corner of Colorado, Southeast Health and La Plata Family Centers Coalition. Colorado Farm Bureau has a mental health voucher program that is available statewide, but one of their struggles has been finding rural practicitioners that understand the milieu of farmers and ranchers. Outreach been specifically targeted toward training rural providers in recognizing signs of mental and behavioral health issues. Goodwill/AgrAbility works with farmers and ranchers experiencing a phyical disability to gain back some mobility in their farm and ranch work through adaptive equipment. This program is a stop gap between the time that folks are waiting to get services from Vocational Rehabilitation, so the equipment does not usually exceed more than $5,000. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union's AgWell program has been going through strategic planning so they have not targeted anyone with these funds during this reporting period. Southeast Health Group was recently acquired by Valley-Wide Health Systems, which expanded their reach from the Southeastern part of Colorado only to add locations in the San Luis Valley. They provide added another Coffee Break Project location in the SLV. La Plata Family Centers Coalition reaches individuals and families in southwest and western Colorado. Their NIFA funded project is Together We Grow aimed at Spanish-speaking and migrant workers, to address mental health concerns and general social service needs in additional to working on a community farm where they meet other members and have access to the food they grow. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?La Plata Family Centers Coalition (LPFCC) successfully contracted the three key providers who will support the implementation of the NIFA grant.These providers met and coordinated the first two in-person community conversations and wellness activities for local immigrants and other participants developing the Pond Farm new agriculture site.The aggregated information collected during the course of these working gatherings will inform the development of training materials and workshops to address mental health among farmers and immigrants. To educate their community about resources available, LPFCC is coordinating withthe Good Food Collective to invite their immigrant and farming members to join the listening sessions and activities. They alsosuccessfully incorporated Family Yoga, Art Therapy, and Writing to all children visiting the farm and gardens this month.Over 100 attendees participated at the partnering locations. AgrAbility was able to deliver a replacement tractor seat andanti-vibration gloves to two different clients. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue work as before.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The goal of this project is to support the vitality and psychosocial wellbeing of Colorado's agricultural workers with communitybased efforts to manage the increasing stresses on farmers and ranchers. Because this work requires trust and relationships, it engages trusted partners to carry out the work to build culturally competent care for agricultural communities. Objectives that will measure success of this project include: Increasing access to agricultural worker culturally competent training for crisis responders, community members and mental health workers Increasing awareness and access to mental health care for farmers, ranchers and agricultural migrant workers. Reducing barriers to work for agricultural workers with disabilities.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this award is farmers and ranchers in rural Colorado experiencing mental health issues around stress, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. We have three sub awardees with state-side reach: Colorado Farm Bureau, Goodwill/AgrAbility and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. In addition we have two that are region specific but cover all of south eastern and the south west corner of Colorado, SoutheastHealth and La Plata Family Centers Coalition. Colorado Farm Bureau has a mental health voucher program that is available statewide, but one of their struggles has been finding rural practicitioners thatunderstand the milieu of farmers and ranchers. So outreach this past year has been specifically targeted toward rural hospitals. Through this outreach effort mostly lunch and learn type of events, they have spoken in person with 165 mental health professionals that work in the rural setting. The Southeast Health Group, recently took mental health out of their name to reduce the perception ofstigma in the community. In addition with the name change they would like to be recognized as a community partner and provider of more than just counseling. Their work with farmers and ranchers in the whole southeast and south central part of the stateis called the Coffee Break project. It is in part a physical place that farmers and ranchers can go to and have a coffee and talk with others in a confidential setting. And the other part is the COMET training (Changing Our Mental & Emotional Trajectory) to support the psychosocial wellbing of Colorado's agricultural workers with community based efforts to manage the increasing stresses on farmers and ranchers. The training has been shared withdiverse groups like the Crisis Team at Otero Junior College--which is made up of administrators, residence hall personnel and coaches. It suggests 5 simplestatements and questionsto help people start conversations with someone who might be dealing with a mental health issue. Goodwill/AgrAbility works with farmers and ranchers experiencing a phyical disability to gain back some mobility in their farm and ranch work through adaptive equipment. This program is a stop gap between the time that folks are waiting to get services from Vocational Rehabilitation, so the equipment does not usually exceed more than $5,000. To date 11 individuals have benefitted from one or more pieces of adaptive equipment on their farm or ranch through the program. Though not not all of their clients have received adaptive equipment through this NIFA grant a big part of the program is visiting farms and ranches, building trustand assessing individals aspotential future clients. Goodwill/AgrAbility also host what they call Winter Workshops, which they did last January and February and already have the schedule published for this year's series, titled Continuing the Conversation: Suicide and Opioid Misuse in Rural Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has been conducting through their wellness and mindfulness arm AgWell, a wellness and mindfulness Peer Support seminar this past fall for farmers and ranchers. They are reaching folks through social media, newsletters and participation in conferences now that that arena is opening back up. La Plata Family Centers Coalition reaches individuals and familiesinsouthwest and western Colorado. Their NIFA funded project is Together We Grow aimed at Spanish-speaking and migrant workers, to address mental health concerns and general social service needs in additional to working on a community farm where they meet other members and have access to the food they grow. Changes/Problems:None at this time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One of the goals of the Colorado Farm Bureau and the CAAMHP projectis to create a stable of qualified mental health professionals steeped in understanding and sensitivity to the rural/agricultural experience. In that vein they have: Through NIFA funding they haveadapted a culturally competent trainingfor medical communities in rural areas and have completed 12 competency lunch and learns in rural and frontier communities across the state. Identified culturally competent providers haveto a remarkable 19.2% of initiating participants utilizing all 6 of the voucher allowance with a rolling 3.4% recidivism rate. Toward the goal of long-term public funding, they advocated for and received funds out of SB21-137 and additional funding potential in legislation passed in 2022. Staff of CAAMPH were invited to speak in Columbus at a national agrarian organization conference as SME on rural access to mental health care, and connecting withsimilar organizations building comparable programs. Launched an Adolescent Addiction Support Workshop, providing loved ones of young people experiencing addiction the necessary tools to support them into and through recovery. The Coffee Break Project, of the Southeast Health Grouphas served as the central COMET (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) training center in the Arkansas Valley Community and has equipped those who have taken the course to have conversations about suicide with the intent of prevention. The CBP has been able to train many members of the community, SHG employees, and other organizations. There was also multiple COMET train the trainer sessions through the year to enable other organizations to facilitate their own training. 143 individuals have been trained in COMET 23 of those 143 have been trained to provide the training themselves 135 individuals have stopped by the CBP to inquire more info 21 COMET trainings in the past 12 months NIFA funding was used to pay for the trainer's time as well as conferences where COMET is being presented on by SHG's trainer. The La Plata Family Centers Coalition has ongoing trainings throughout the growing season for mental health and well being for their target population which is Spanish Speaking and often migrant labor called Together We Grow at 5 primary gardens site in and around Durango, Colorado. The four goals of which are: grow our own food, encourage participants in pride and self confidence, advance food equity and cultivate health. 100 families have contributed to the farm sites and participated in the training over the course of the 2022 growing season. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?From Colorado Farm Bureau, Community Partnerships include: Colorado State University Extension Agency and their newly funded behavioral health efforts partnering with the Colorado AgrAbility Project. Colorado Hospital Association has been a key partner in advocating for better health outcomes for agrarian and rural community members, particularly through rural hospitals. and non-profit organizations like Voices of Rural Colorado, Rali Colorado, and RockyMountain Health Plans. As mentioned in the products section CDA hosted a FaceBook Live chat with all 5 of our sub grantees on May 25 at 1pm MST Taking Stock of Rural Mental Health. We all gathered with other rural mental health partners and interested parties in Salida, Colorado for a two-day meeting funded by WRASAP on September 28 and 29 with the intent of finding where our interests and work overlaps and where there are gaps that we can try to address. Additionally Rocky Mountain Farmers Union invited all the subgrantees and any interested parties to join a 7week conversation entitled Peer Listening Support Series. The topics and dates are below. Jul 6, 2022 06:00 PM Active listening Jul 13, 2022 06:00 PM Self Care and Empathy Fatigue Jul 20, 2022 06:00 PM Initiating Difficult Conversations and referring people to resources Jul 27, 2022 06:00 PM Vulnerability is Courage Aug 3, 2022 06:00 PM Direct and Indirect Communication Aug 10, 2022 06:00 PM Uncertainty and Adversity Aug 17, 2022 06:00 PM Support and Empowerment What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Everyone is continuing on with their existing work. Most took a portion of the new money to advertise their programming in order to reach a larger audience and CDA's radio buys will assist with this. In addition to their regular work with the CAAMHP voucher program, Colorado Farm Bureau is also putting together a video for CDA which willtrain mental health crisis call employees in answering crisis calls with a rural lens.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Increasing access to agricultural worker culturally competent training for crisis responders, community members and mental health workers The Colorado Agricultural Addiction & Mental Health Program (CAAMHP) was started by the Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation with generous funds from The Colorado Trust in May 2021. Charged with a proof of concept - they were able to secure additional funding through the Colorado Department of Agriculture (NIFA) and have had 85 voucher requests (our goal was 50) since May 1, 2021. During the process they learned a ton about necessary program structure and efficacy toward desired outcomes and have had tremendous opportunities to equip many of Colorado's broad behavioral health and medical practitioners to better serve their agrarian and rural communities far beyond CAAMHP's provider network (current tally is somewhere upwards of 140). With the additional monies from September 2022 they were able to offer cultural humility training and other information resources as part of a dynamic approach across the state. 2. Increasing awareness and access to mental health care for farmers, ranchers and agricultural migrant workers. The Coffee Break Project (CBP) of the Southeast Health Group was able to open and be an available resource to not only the agricultural community, but the entire Arkansas Valley. This was an important milestone for the community as there was not a resource center like this before. Over the past year, the CBP transformed into a well-known place where members can connect and seek further resources. The main success the CFB has accomplished in the past year has been to spread the importance of good mental health especially in the agriculture community. People of the Arkansas Valley community now have a place to go to just talk over coffee and donuts, meet with their peers, or seek resources for themselves and their loved ones. The New York Times published an article featuring the Coffee Break Project on October 6, 2022 . It was in relation to mental health in rural communities. Southeast Health Group was grateful for this recognition and hopes it will help many more individuals in other rural areas. Additionally with the new money that came in September Colorado Department of Agriculture has purchased radio ads throughout rural Colorado in an effort to bring mental health awareness to the forefront and pointing listeners by region to a provider of mental health services and specifically our subgrantee organizations. 3. Reducing barriers to work for agricultural workers with disabilities As mentioned in the first section AgrAbility's mission is reducing barriers for agricultural workers with disabilities. Since October 2022, the program has assisted ten farmers/ranchers with the purchases of assistive technology to aid them in completing necessary work tasks that have become difficult or impossible because of physical limitations (with NIFA funding from CDA). It is the purpose of the funding to address a person's mental health and personal wellbeing by first removing physical barriers and supporting their continued agricultural efforts. AgrAbility's client base is at times wary of gifts coming from strangers, as well as offers of help. However through the intensive intake process, and spending time with the potential client in their milieu the project is deemed trustworthy with most farmers and ranchers and by and large the receptiveness to their assistance has been overwhelmingly positive. At present AgrAbility has three additional clients who have requested financial assistance through the NIFA Rural Mental Health funding. Research and justification for purchases are in process. Recently a client that used NIFA funding to secure a motorized cart called to check on where it might be in transit (it is on back order). He stated, "I cannot wait to be able to move materials, tools, product, etc., with this tool and have enough of myself left over to give back to my wife at the end of a day."
Publications
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