The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development today unveiled a new webpage featuring resources to help rural communities respond to the opioid crisis.
“While the opioid epidemic has been devastating for communities across the country, rural areas have been hit especially hard,” said John Huffman, Oregon State Director for USDA Rural Development. “USDA is approaching the opioid crisis with a dedicated urgency because it impacts quality of life, economic opportunity, and prosperity across rural America. This new USDA webpage will help rural leaders tailor their response to this epidemic to meet the unique needs of their community.”
The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that more than 63,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin.
USDA is playing an important role to help rural communities address this national problem at the local level through program investments, strategic partnerships, and best practice implementation.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory, and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue presented the task force’s findings to the President, including 31 recommendations to align the Federal Government with state, local, and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America.
The task force included a recommendation to modernize healthcare access. The report highlighted the importance of telemedicine in enhancing access to primary care and specialty providers. The task force also found that improved access to mental and behavioral healthcare, particularly prevention, treatment, and recovery resources, is vital to addressing the opioid crisis and other substance misuse in rural communities.
The Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB) is available in its entirety online. In addition, the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB) reviews the categories of the recommendations.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety, and healthcare; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/or.