Trainings and Resources

A study published in the Journal of Appalachian Health examines whether there were higher levels of anxiety, fear, and depression among those who continued working outside the home compared with those who began working remotely during the shutdown. A separate article in the same issue, A Description of COVID-19 Lifestyle Restrictions Among a Sample of Rural Appalachian Women gives findings of a survey that asked about social interactions, doctor visits, child care, and substance use recovery.

The report, Saving Lives from Overdose During a Pandemic, draws from peer-reviewed research on opioid overdoses, as well as recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The COVID-19 pandemic — responsible already for more than 16 million infections and 300,000 deaths in the United States —arrives at a time that the nation is still battling another crisis: the rising rates of fatal overdose from opioids and other drugs. Drug-related deaths have skyrocketed in the past few decades to levels that are four times greater than in the 1990s. Unintentional injuries—which include overdose deaths—are now the third leading cause of death in the country.

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people and communities. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Learn how to recognize the signs, how to cope and ways to support.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting economic downturn are taking a toll on mental health for many Americans, with large shares of the public saying that related worry and stress is having a negative effect on their mental health.

Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training is a self-paced online course for groups that work with farmers and ranchers to learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and suicide, ways to effectively communicate with people under stress, and how to reduce stigma related to mental health concerns.

These resources are meant to help cope with the stress and anxiety people may feel around COVID-19.