Health and Wellness

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), farmers are at the top of the list for having the highest suicide rates of all major industry and occupational groups. For more than three decades, the occupational health risks of farming have been documented and studies consistently underscore the importance of interventions to promote health and wellness and prevent suicide. The University of Kentucky College of Nursing and Cooperative Extension Service are partnering to build capacity of rural communities to support rural mental health not only across the Commonwealth, but also as part of a 15-state southern region project. 

Learn more:

UK Part of Regional Group Working to Reduce Farmer Stress 

UK Agriculture, Nurse Researchers’ Farmers’ Dinner Theater Grows Safety, Mental Health Awareness in Rural Kentucky 

UK Nursing and Agriculture, Food and Environment Team Up to Address Farmers’ Mental Health Needs 

Op-Ed: Increased Suicide Awareness, Mental Health Efforts are Needed to Support Kentucky Farmers 

UK BARN Program Aims to Decrease Farmer Suicides

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension partnered with the UK Institute of Rural Journalism and Community Issues to promote vaccine education through twelve rural newspapers. Extension specialists developed a package of stories, art, and links to promote vaccination in general, not just for Covid-19. The materials were featured in special newspaper editions delivered to all addresses in the county, not just newspaper subscribers. The outreach was funded in part by the Kentucky Association of Health Plans.

Institute for Rural Journalism, KPA Receive Healthy Together Through Vaccinations Grant From KAHP