Missouri

Mackenzie Bevins is a doctoral capstone student from the University of Missouri occupational therapy program. Her time as an occupational therapy student has helped her to recognize the importance of client-centered, evidence-based practice. Her passion for supporting underserved populations has driven her to focus on bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and the agricultural sector. To better address the perceived need for more comprehensive resources about agriculture for healthcare practitioners, she has partnered with the Missouri AgrAbility Project at the University of Missouri Extension. She is the creator and host of the "Leaders in the Field Podcast," a podcast that aims to educate healthcare practitioners on the unique needs and challenges faced by the agricultural community to increase quality of care and practitioner competency when serving the agricultural population. Hosted by Mackenzie Bevins, each episode delves into various aspects of healthcare and agriculture, featuring discussions with agricultural workers and their families, rural health experts, healthcare practitioners, and other leaders in their field. Access her doctoral capstone podcast here.

Emily Doosing and her 4-H team worked in the planning and implementation of 4-H Days at the Lake. This day camp included 77 participants for the two days ranging from ages 5 - 18. 4-H day camp included the following health, safety, and well-being sessions: Shooting Sports Safety, Wilderness Survival, First Aid Basics, Fire Prevention/Safety and How to Put Out a Fire, Drowning Prevention, Wildlife Safety:Snakes, Ticks, and Other Threats, Boat Safety, ATV Roll-Over Prevention, Poisoning Prevention, Grain Bin Safety, and Suicide Prevention. As she moves into the school year, Emily will work with teachers in several agricultural school districts to offer health, safety, and wellness programs for youth.

Submitted by Karen Funkenbusch and Emily Doosing

Missouri AgrAbility was discussed as resource during each of the BIA-MO Networking Coffees for Professionals in St. Louis (June 4), Springfield (June 11) and Kansas City (June 12). During these three Missouri AgrAbility marketing events, 30 healthcare, rehabilitation, community supports, and agricultural professionals became more familiar about Missouri's customized technical on-the-farm assessments through case studies, discussions, and cited examples.

During the "Technology Thursday" online meeting (June 20), Maureen Cunningham, BIA-MO executive director, highlighted the use of assistive technologies for farming and ranching through Missouri AgrAbility. This networking provided an opportunity to raise awareness about Missouri AgrAbility and continued during the "Show Me Falls Free Missouri" online networking (July 9) with Maureen Cunningham sharing information about falls being the number cause of brain injury, including in rural communities.

Submitted by Maureen Cunningham