After rural opioid roundtables, USDA official sees need for creativity, use of assets, small actions that can turn big

Anne Hazlett

Since March, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have held roundtables with state and local leaders in seven largely-rural states to learn more about the impact of the opioid epidemic. Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett, who led these roundtables, spoke with Kay Temple of the The Rural Monitor about what she learned from the tour through Pennsylvania, Utah, Nevada, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri and Maine.

"One key lesson is that an effective response in rural America takes creativity in harnessing existing community assets, and limited resources mean we have to get creative. For example, in the context of prevention, we can’t always just turn to school districts or sheriff’s deputies who already have strapped resources and are stretched thin," Hazlett told Temple. "What are the assets in a community that can be used as a platform for prevention? It’s the 'who': those who are already touching the lives of people living and working in rural America. When we take that creative lens, the sky is the limit in these rural areas. There are opportunities in churches, in the Cooperative Extension, in the Rotary, in the Lions Club."

Another thing Hazlett saw was how small actions can have a big impact in a way that wouldn't happen in a larger community. One example she saw was in Talbot County, Maryland: the county launched a campaign called "Talbot Goes Purple" in which community leaders and organizations partnered to use the color purple everywhere possible as a message of support to families hurt by substance abuse. Stigma is a powerful barrier to getting help in rural communities, but the campaign helped reduce that and let people know it's okay to get help, Temple reports.

Hazlett's final takeaway was that rural communities must become more prosperous to fight the opioid epidemic and keep people from becoming addicted. "This rural epidemic has been fueled by hopelessness and despair, stemming through lack of economic opportunity, feelings of isolation, and so to remedy that we can’t just look at prevention, treatment, and recovery," Hazlett said. "Rural leaders really need to double down on addressing some of these deeper, systemic issues in rural communities — things like lack of broadband and the need to improve the quality of life, develop the next generation of the workforce, drive innovation, and increase economic development." 

Hazlett acknowledged that rural broadband access is a critical ingredient in rural prosperity, and touted the USDA's $600 million broadband pilot program. The program has not yet been implemented, but is open to public comment until Sept. 10.