Giving Compass' Take:

• Erica Hunzinger explains how the opioid crisis has deeply impacted rural communities, and how those very communities hold the key to addressing the opioid abuse problem. 

• How can funders help support rural communities working to address their opioid problem? 

• Learn about conducting philanthropy in rural communities


The statistics are clear: Rural America is deeply impacted by the opioid crisis, especially farmers and farm workers. What’s not so easy is figuring out what to do about it, three national agricultural leaders said Sunday, though they all said the real onus is on local communities.

Almost 75 percent of farmers and farm workers have either taken an illegal dose of painkillers, are addicted, or know someone who is, according to a November study commissioned by the National Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau Federation. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the mortality rate of working-age adults in rural areas is skyrocketing due to overdoses.

The opioid crisis “is so deep and so personal. It cries out for us to get past the stigma,” NFU president Roger Johnson said during a panel discussion that kicked off the group’s national conference in Kansas City.

Anne Hazlett, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s assistant to the secretary for rural development, told the audience what’s struck her about the crisis is how it ripples through extended families.

Read the full article about solutions to opioid abuse by Erica Hunzinger at Harvest Public Media.