CHS Community Giving recently awarded $105,000 to AgriSafe to support mental health training, safety training for young producers and continuing education for rural nurses.
“Ag health and safety is a key focus for CHS Community Giving,” says Jessie Headrick, director, CHS Community Giving. “Through our partnership with AgriSafe we are able to support health and well-being initiatives for people of all ages engaged in agriculture.”
One-third of the CHS contribution is dedicated to AgriSafe’s Total Farmer Health initiative, which provides mental health training to farmers, ranchers, rural healthcare professionals and community influencers. Through CHS support, AgriSafe will be able to expand in-person and virtual trainings.
“Last year, we exceeded our goal and trained more than 1,100 health care professionals and rural influencers, helping us make progress toward our goals of decreasing stigma and increasing awareness,” says Tara Haskins, DNP, RN, Total Farmer Health Director.
CHS Community Giving funding also includes $30,000 for ongoing support of AgriSafe’s Invest in Your Health program, a wellness initiative for high school and college agriculture students. The program focuses on developing preventative behaviors by engaging students in a series of modules covering the importance of personal protective equipment, heat-related illness, hearing protection, zoonosis, mental wellness and hazards in agriculture.
Finally, $40,000 is dedicated to AgriSafe’s Nurse Scholar program, an innovative distance learning opportunity, which gives rural nurses access to 20 hours of online, on-demand continuing education. By completing the program, rural nurses will be better able to recognize and treat the unique health needs of those working in production agriculture. So far, 100 rural nurses have been trained and registration is now open for 2021.
For more information on AgriSafe’s programming, visit agrisafe.org. For more information on other ways CHS Community Giving supports programs that strengthen hometown communities and keep farmers and ranchers safe, visit chsinc.com/stewardship
