AgriSafe Network

In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General called for increased awareness and availability of naloxone, the opioid antagonist, to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Despite the rise in the dispensing of naloxone, there is a significant gap in our response across all sectors of society. In the rural parts of our country, where emergency response times can be dangerously long, developing a workplace naloxone availability and use program could ultimately save lives. This webinar will share information from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to help employers and workers understand the risk of opioid overdose and the role of naloxone.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Summary: Workers in the agricultural industry experience multiple hazardous respiratory exposures. It is important to understand these risks and to know the appropriate protective equipment to purchase and use. The female workforce often experiences a challenge finding the right protection with a proper fit. This 30-minute program will address both the risks and the right protective gear.

Intended Audience: The primary audience for this program will agricultural production workers, including female workers, and agricultural business managers

Objectives: At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

This material was produced under grant #SH-05172-SH9 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

Summary: Tick borne illnesses often go undetected for years. Our speakers will provide unique perspectives from clinicians, resource development, and emotional support of those suffering with Lyme disease. The webinar will provide up to date education, understanding of the complex disease presentation, Lyme disease resources and awareness of the long-term effects for physical and mental health.

Objectives: By the end of this webinar participants will be able to…

Intended Audience: This course is intended for health and safety professionals, Ag extension professionals, educators, and individuals involved in working and recreation outdoors.

The occupational hazards that farmers face put them at greater risk for acute and chronic pain as a result of ergonomic repetition, accident, or surgical procedure. Addressing specific occupational sources of pain and what activities the pain inhibits are crucial to improving treatment. This module will focus on how to transform the conversation between provider and patient to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction.

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1.  Understand the prevalence of occupational hazards amongst farming occupations.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine released recommendations for opioid prescribing based on safety-sensitive occupations. Safety-sensitive work is typically classified as operating motor vehicles, modes of transportation, other heavy machinery, or tasks requiring high levels of cognitive function or judgment. Farm duties frequently demand the use of heavy machinery, and concurrent use of narcotics alongside safety-sensitive work can be dangerous. This training educates healthcare providers on how to assess occupational agricultural risks and corresponding patient guidance for those who are taking opioid medications.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Prescription opioids are often the first-line therapy to treat chronic and acute pain among farmers. Prescribing opioids to farmer populations that may not seek regular treatment or have access to alternative therapies increases the risk for potential opioid misuse. Properly assessing for these characteristics among other abuse or addiction risk factors, is critical in providing treatment that is both appropriate and effective. The training module will seek to provide insight on misuse risk factors among farmers to better inform healthcare providers on warning signs in this specific cohort.

By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Summary: Stigma exists across all age groups for those struggling with mental health. Navigation of the teen years in everyday situations can create angst and uncomfortable feelings that are difficult to express. Adding mental illness and mental crisis to a teen or young adult’s typical growth and development makes struggling with emotions, relationships, academic success, and safety more challenging. According to the CDC, rates of depression and anxiety climb significantly during the ages of 12-17. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of youths in the United States. This module opens an introductory discussion of mental health among teens and young adults with guidance from an adult educator. Focus is placed on decreasing stigma, improving mental health literacy, and positive coping skills for teens and young adults. The module showcases a high school agricultural student’s understanding of the agricultural mental health crisis, helping to frame mental health distress to academic and future career success.

Objectives: After the module, teens and young adults will be able to….

Intended Audience: This Train the Trainer course is designed for teachers, Extension staff, 4H and FFA leaders and others who work with young adults.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention now identifies sleep deficiency as a public health problem. Sleep affects every moment of our daily lives, from how we think and remember to how our bodies thrive or deteriorate. It determines how we deal with stress, make choices related to safety, and function as human beings. While most health education tends to focus on nutrition and activity, sleep is arguably the single most important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and lack of it causes a significantly reduced quality of life. This presenter proposes that we prioritize sleep and improve daily sleep hygiene to enhance every facet of our well-being.

Veterans have a long history of service to our country through military service and through agriculture. The 2017 USDA report added a new special category of producers: “Producers with Military Service”. This report identified that 370,019 men and women agriculture producers claimed the title of US veteran, with 294,974 of them having spent more than 10 years on their farm. Recently much attention has highlighted veterans’ participation in farming. With this new attention, it is important to understand the unique characteristics and needs of those veterans.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has profoundly affected humans on a global scale in a noticeably short time. Individuals working in agriculture who, as “essential workers", are exempt from stay-home mandates, and are naturally at increased risk of negative health, economic, social, and familial consequences from the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Language and cultural differences, rural geographies, socioeconomic pressures, and immigration status are among the barriers that impede agricultural workers access to critical education and prevention technologies emerging to combat COVID-19. Additionally, the unusual persistence and multimodal transmission cycle of SARS-CoV-2 emerging from ongoing scientific study may require customization of otherwise standard prevention messaging to agricultural workers to further prevent infection and disease exacerbation.

Contact tracing is a tool that can help slow the spread of infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Contact tracing helps protect you and your employees by: Letting people know they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor their health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Helping people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 get tested, self-quarantine or isolate to prevent spread of disease (CDC).