country are actually experi-
encing a decline in the num-
ber of children entering into
the foster care system, others
are seeing rapid increases. In
Alaska, Georgia, Minnesota,
Indiana, Montana, and New
Hampshire, the foster care
population increased more
than 50% between 2012 and
2016.
Those areas with the
biggest jumps are also areas
that have been hit hard-
est by opioid and meth-
amphetamine abuse. The
HHS estimates that for the
average American county, a
10% increase in the overdose
death rate translates to a
4.4% increase in the foster
care entry rate.
In Montana, for example,
T
he foster care system
in America is strug-
gling, and it presents
a unique set of
challenges to kids in
rural areas.
There are upwards of
437,000 children in the
foster care system in the
U.S., according to the
Child Welfare Information
Gateway, a project of the
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
(HHS). Kids can end up in
foster care for a variety of
reasons, whether they’ve
been abused or neglected, or
their parents can no longer
care for them. No matter
the reason, the children have
suffered trauma.
While some parts of the
Photography: Drumm Farm
the state’s Division of Child
and Family Services reports
that between 2008 and 2017
the percentage of child abuse
and neglect cases where
methamphetamine use was
a factor went from 26% to
52%. Over the same time pe-
riod, the number of children
in foster care in the state
more than doubled, from
1,408 to 3,172.
When rural kids are
placed into the foster care
system, they are at a disad-
vantage when it comes to
available homes. Since the
population is smaller, there
are fewer families available
to foster. This means rural
children are often sent to
group facilities or to families
who are hundreds of miles
FOSTERING ON THE FARM
A FARM IN THE MIDDLE OF KANSAS CITY IS HELPING KIDS IN
FOSTER CARE HEAL, GROW, AND LEARN IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS.
online continuing
education gives
rural nurses
ag-specific training
O
nce nurses graduate
from nursing school, their
education is far from over. Nurses
are required to take continuing
education courses in order to
renew their licenses.
AgriSafe, a nonprofit
organization that provides
agricultural occupational health
services, has a way for nurses
to fulfill 18 hours of continuing
education while learning more
about the health risks faced
by their rural patients. “We
don’t learn about ag-specific
issues in nursing school,” says
Charlotte Halverson, AgriSafe
clinical director. “Our Nurse
Scholar program helps nurses
learn to prevent, identify, and
assess health issues related to
agricultural work.”
Classes are in the form of
webinars that can be viewed
live or on the nurses’ own time.
The cost is $900, or $50 per
credit hour. Nurses working for
nonprofit organizations, rural
health clinics, federally qualified
health centers, government
agencies, or educational
institutions receive 50% off.
Twenty stipends will be awarded
to nurses working in rural areas.
The next round of classes
runs from September 4 to
December 20, 2019, and offers
live interaction with instructors.
Topics will include zoonotic
diseases, hearing conservation,
respiratory heath, ergonomics,
skin disorders, behavioral health,
women’s health, and more.
Learn more about the AgriSafe
Nurse Scholar program and
register for the course at
agrisafe.org/nurse-scholar.
62 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019
A young man named
Shaquan enjoys
feeding baby goats at
Drumm Farm.
a i y
By Lisa Foust Prater, Family & Farmstead Editor
