NACo supports counties through the Reaching Rural Initiative

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County NewsThe Reaching Rural Initiative focuses on helping rural counties leverage assets they may already have and forming bolder regional opportunities for collaboration to meet these challenges.NACo supports counties through the Reaching Rural Initiative
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County News Article
NACo supports counties through the Reaching Rural Initiative
Despite a lower overall incidence of substance abuse disorder in rural counties, the lack of access to lifesaving measures, treatment and support makes the problem more pronounced and persistent than in urban counties, where options are more plentiful.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Reaching Rural Initiative focuses on helping rural counties leverage assets they may already have and forming bolder regional opportunities for collaboration to meet these challenges. The project aims to work across agencies to align life-saving measures among law enforcement, child welfare, prosecutors and more. The program collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Justice Institute.
An inaugural class of 67, competitively selected fellows from county government, met recently in Loudoun County, Va.
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The Reaching Rural Initiative
Navajo County, Ariz. Supervisor Brad Carlyon saw a lot of potential in the initiative.
“This is not just positive change for those we are helping, but positive change for the community,” he said. “We need to show that investment in these programs is paying off in the quality of life of the community.”
There are two tracks within the class: County teams and individuals. Fellows represent more than 80 rural communities across 14 states. Fellows attended sessions including a resource roundtable with federal representatives, resource roundtable with technical assistance providers and partners (featuring NACo), small group breakouts to discuss how substance use impacts their community. They also discussed strategic communication and how to frame issues to build collaboration, and took part in other small-group activities.
This project was designed for rural justice and public safety practitioners; public health and behavioral health practitioners; city, county, and tribal leaders and community groups. The initiative empowers rural practitioners to build deeper cross-sector networks; reimagine how diverse systems with different missions can engage with one another to more effectively serve justice-involved individuals with substance use or co-occurring disorders; and adopt bold solutions to the persistent challenge of substance use and misuse in rural communities.
This inaugural class of rural county fellows will continue to meet throughout the year, including two additional in-person network meetings. Additionally, this work will be featured in July at NACo’s 2023 Annual Conference in Travis County, Texas.
The Reaching Rural Initiative focuses on helping rural counties leverage assets they may already have and forming bolder regional opportunities for collaboration to meet these challenges.2023-04-19County News Article2023-04-20
Despite a lower overall incidence of substance abuse disorder in rural counties, the lack of access to lifesaving measures, treatment and support makes the problem more pronounced and persistent than in urban counties, where options are more plentiful.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Reaching Rural Initiative focuses on helping rural counties leverage assets they may already have and forming bolder regional opportunities for collaboration to meet these challenges. The project aims to work across agencies to align life-saving measures among law enforcement, child welfare, prosecutors and more. The program collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Justice Institute.
An inaugural class of 67, competitively selected fellows from county government, met recently in Loudoun County, Va.
Learn more
Navajo County, Ariz. Supervisor Brad Carlyon saw a lot of potential in the initiative.
“This is not just positive change for those we are helping, but positive change for the community,” he said. “We need to show that investment in these programs is paying off in the quality of life of the community.”
There are two tracks within the class: County teams and individuals. Fellows represent more than 80 rural communities across 14 states. Fellows attended sessions including a resource roundtable with federal representatives, resource roundtable with technical assistance providers and partners (featuring NACo), small group breakouts to discuss how substance use impacts their community. They also discussed strategic communication and how to frame issues to build collaboration, and took part in other small-group activities.
This project was designed for rural justice and public safety practitioners; public health and behavioral health practitioners; city, county, and tribal leaders and community groups. The initiative empowers rural practitioners to build deeper cross-sector networks; reimagine how diverse systems with different missions can engage with one another to more effectively serve justice-involved individuals with substance use or co-occurring disorders; and adopt bold solutions to the persistent challenge of substance use and misuse in rural communities.
This inaugural class of rural county fellows will continue to meet throughout the year, including two additional in-person network meetings. Additionally, this work will be featured in July at NACo’s 2023 Annual Conference in Travis County, Texas.
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About Elise Simonsen (Full Bio)
Associate Program Director – Behavioral Health & Justice
Elise is NACo's associate program director for behavioral health and justice. Elise oversees NACo's behavioral health and justice portfolio which provides thought leadership to counties related to mental health, justice, and public safety.More from Elise Simonsen
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Agriculture & Rural Affairs Steering Committee
Responsible for all matters pertaining to USDA agriculture, rural development programs, rural renewable energy development, research and extension, food safety, and conservation programs. Policy Platform 2023-2024 2023 NACo Legislative Prioritiespagepagepage<p>Responsible for all matters pertaining to USDA agriculture, rural development programs, rural renewable energy development, research and extension, food safety, and conservation programs. </p>
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Justice & Public Safety Steering Committee
All matters pertaining to criminal justice and public safety systems, including criminal justice planning, law enforcement, courts, corrections, homeland security, community crime prevention, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, emergency management, fire prevention and control, and civil disturbances.pagepagepage<p>All matters pertaining to criminal justice and public safety systems, including criminal justice planning, law enforcement, courts, corrections, homeland security, community crime prevention, juvenile justice and delinquency preven
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Rural Action Caucus
The Rural Action Caucus (RAC) is a key component of NACo's mission in supporting county officials in the pursuit of excellence in public service. RAC is the voice for America's rural counties, which represent two-thirds of the nation's 3,069 counties designated as rural, serving a combined population of 60 million.pagepagepage<p><strong>Since 1997, the Rural Action Caucus (RAC) has represented the nearly 70 percent of America's counties that are rural, addressing critical federal, state and local issues impacting these unique communities.
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Opioid Solutions Center
NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.Reports & Toolkitsdocument10123:30 pmReports & Toolkits<p>NACo's Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
Contact
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Associate Program Director – Behavioral Health & Justice(202) 942-4279
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