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.
• 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
Obstacles to Disaster Response and
Recovery in Rural Communities
• 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)
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
Reduced Infrastructure
• 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
Fewer Mental Health Resources
• 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 trickledown effect in local economy
• Higher poverty rates
Poorer Economic Conditions
• 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.)
Rural Values
• 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
Communities Feeling Neglected
• 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
Assisting Rural Communities in
Recovery
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
Coordinate and Use Local Resources
•
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/extension
• Extension Education Network
http://eden.lsu.edu/Pages/default.aspx
Enlist Help of 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
Cooperative Extension
• Respect desire for self-reliance
• Consider local customs when responding
• Decrease stigma of help-seeking
• Solicit opinions of residents when developing
response plans
Respect Rural Value System
For more information about UVM Extension’s Building Capacity
programs, visit our website:
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/community/buildingcapacity/
Contact Building Capacity:
capacity@uvm.edu