NFSHW 2021: A Look at Stress and Mental Health During COVID-19 and the Impacts to Farmers and Other Sectors

Last updated on April 25th, 2024 at 12:27 pm

Summary: Hurricane Michael was the worst agriculture disaster in Georgia’s history. The Department of Agriculture partnered with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) to develop outreach and educational materials to support farmer mental health in the state. The goal was to provide strategies for coping with disaster and building resiliency in Georgia’s Agriculture Community after Hurricane Michael. This work continued during COVID-19. The Georgia Food and Feed Rapid Response Team (GA RRT) and partner agencies created a COVID-19 Food, Agriculture, and Hospitality Stress Workgroup to assess the impacts of stress and mental health across the nation through two online surveys. This presentation will cover partnership building, the evolution of farmer crisis resources in Georgia, and the development of outreach initiatives to inform food, agriculture, hospitality workers, and the public about the importance of the ABCs of Compassion Fatigue that includes awareness, balance, and connections. The evolution of this project has led to improved outreach and connection to crisis resources across sectors, and a goal to promote resiliency for farmers and the whole community during these unprecedented times.

Intended Audience: Farmers, Public Health, Medical Providers (human and animal health), Emergency Managers, NGO, and General Public

Objectives: At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to….
1. How to build partnerships for farmer mental health
2. COVID-19 Stress and Mental Health Workgroup project timeline
3. Behavioral and Mental Health impacts to farmers and other sectors during COVID-19
4. Farmer Stress and Mental Health resources and outreach materials

Presenter: Venessa Sims, MEP, GA-CEM, BA Psychology, Director of Emergency Management, Georgia Department of Agriculture

Continuing Education is available for this webinar! The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety offers 0.1 CEU or 1.0 contact hours of participation. This course is eligible for 1.0 CPH Recertification Credits and is sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, an approved provider of CPH Recertification Credits by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. The following groups of professionals have been able to use these CEUs in the past; Industrial Hygiene (CIH), Certified Public Health Professional (CPH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Nursing (RN, LPN), Social Work (LSW), Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Audiology (ABA), and others. Please contact your accrediting agency regarding any questions about receiving credits.

Watch the Recording Here