Extension Health Ambassadors
What does your ideal community look like? Take some time to think about how it would sound, look, and feel to be there.
Maintaining good health can be a barrier for many communities' growth. To tackle this, innovative programs are emerging to bridge the gap between health knowledge and community action.
Arkansas has 22 volunteer Extension Health Ambassadors across six counties implementing the vision from their communities to thrive even further.
What is the role of an Extension Health Ambassadors?
Ambassadors are required to complete training in fundamentals of public health. They are also trained to increase their communities' capacity by looking through the lens of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD).
In the state of Arkansas, 55 of the 75 counties are considered rural by the USDA. It is widely known that rural populations face disproportionate health challenges. It is the job of the ambassador to understand the challenges, assets, and capacity in their community and use all factors to build a healthier population.
Examples of health challenges for rural communities:
- Lack of access to healthy foods or fitness facilities
- Lack of access to telemedicine due to poor or nonexistent internet access
- Lack of access to medical providers
- Traditional health promotion and disease prevention measures have reduced impact in rural versus urban settings.
Types of programming from Extension Health Ambassadors:
- Heart health
- Drug misuse and abuse among youth
- Health literacy
- Physical activity for older adults
- Mental health
With the Rural Health and Safety grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture or NIFA, the community, workforce, and economic development team partnered with the health team from Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Science Department to design and implement the Extension Rural Health Ambassadors program. By recruiting volunteer ambassadors to teach Extension health programming to their respective communities, access to and availability of Extension health programming will be increased, and more people can be reached with the end goal of improving their personal health.
Six rural Arkansas counties were chosen to participate:
- Clark
- Hempstead
- Hot Spring
- Mississippi
- Phillips
- Pope
In late 2022 through 2023, agents in these six counties have used the Asset-Based Community Development community engagement model to recruit ambassadors to their counties, based in the ABCD viewpoint that all community members have beneficial assets and capacities and should have a seat at the table when determining the future development of their communities. Concurrently, the health team has developed health education training materials to equip the extension agents and their ambassadors with the skills to deliver public, community-based health programs.
What are the benefits of using ABCD for the Extension Health Ambassadors program?
- Enhanced Community Engagement: By focusing on strengths, the program fosters a positive and inclusive atmosphere where everyone has opportunities to be included and feel valued.
- Sustainable Health Improvements: Community-driven initiatives are more likely to sustain because they are rooted in local assets and ownership.
- Resilience Building: By empowering communities to utilize their own resources, the program builds resilience, making communities better equipped to handle future health challenges.
Progress in Pope County:
2024 will be the first year for Extension Health Ambassadors in Pope County to hold a health fair.
Amanda Carter works for Arkansas Game and Fish and is an Extension Health Ambassador in Pope County.
“We are using our contacts and resources to provide health information to local citizens on what Pope County has to offer. Whether that be healthy lifestyles, clinics, insurance, food and nutrition, exercise programs, or help with the elderly” Carter said.
Carter is generating a full spectrum of health information and opportunities by using her community assets.
The creation of the ideal community does not have to come from the opening of a business, a big check, or the tap of a gavel. It usually comes from the members in the community like Carter, who make many voices and perspectives known.
To learn how you can get involved with Extension Health Ambassadors, contact your county office.