Project Impact
36 States have been impacted through our programming and educational resources.
Project Impact
Through ROTA Funding, the multi-state team of South Dakota State University Extension and North Dakota State Extension developed into the collaborative known as Strengthening the Heartland. With a mission of providing services that prevent opioid misuse in rural communities across the Dakotas, Strengthening the Heartland has become a recognized entity among communities and stakeholders seeking resources.
Both South Dakota and North Dakota are classified as frontier states given the small population spread over a large geographic area. Therefore, rural communities in these states are often severely under-resourced. This is especially true for mental health resources as 90% of the counties in both South Dakota and North Dakota are mental health professional shortage areas. ROTA funding has allowed the Strengthening the Heartland team to provide accessible, high quality resources to individuals and professionals in locations that are frequently overlooked.
Key Outcomes
- A total of 7,249 individuals from 63 rural communities have participated in an opioid misuse prevention presentation. Comparison of pre- and post-test survey data indicated a significant increase in opioid knowledge after participation.
- A 9-webinar series on topics related to addiction was created. Webinars were facilitated by content professionals from across the U.S. The series has received 2,197 views from live attendees and recordings.
- A total of 68 professionals received training to facilitate research-based, opioid/substance-use programming. 33 facilitators are able to provide the opioid misuse prevention presentation, and 35 facilitators were trained in the CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Therapy) model. The program supports family members as they encourage a family member with an addiction to seek treatment.
- A week-long, virtual Addictions Conference was offered to mental health professionals. Fifteen professionals provided hour-long sessions to a total of 460 attendees. 95% of participants would recommend the event to a colleague, and 98% expected the information to benefit them in their professional positions.
- Partnerships with 11 state and community organizations have developed including the South Dakota Office of Rural Health, South Dakota Counseling Association, North Dakota County Social Services Offices, North Dakota Continuing and Technical Education, Great Plains Tribal Chairmen鈥檚 Health Board, Turtle Mountain Native American Reservation and the South Dakota Prevention Resource Centers, among others.
