The breadth of Western issues handled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is wide, but in his address to Western Governors Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene, United States Secretary Tom Vilsack focused on the issues that Idaho and l ‘West face every day.
Problems like longer, warmer and drier fire seasons without the manpower to fight them.
How to ensure that farmers have the ability to process their livestock. How to bridge the urban and rural divide when it comes to food deserts, where food stories are harder to find.
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Vilsack, along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, spoke about a number of issues facing Western communities on the first day of the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting.
Vilsack spoke about solutions achieved through teamwork between state and federal governments to improve the quality of life of those living in Western states. Becerra highlighted the work done by the Department of Health and Human Services and state governments to improve the lack of access to health care in rural areas and address mental and behavioral health needs across the West.
The threat of Western wildfire
With wildfires plaguing Western states and labor shortages for firefighters, President Joe Biden has raised the minimum wage for federal firefighters in the wilds to $ 15 an hour. Firefighters can also expect to see annual salary increases of up to $ 20,000.
“We need to recruit and retain firefighters and those who work in the forest service,” Vilsack said. To see also : City Council Examines Bills to Address Material Health, Racial Disparities in Reproductive Care. “And that required us to look to our compensation system and our classification system to send a message of respect to those who fight fires.”
Vilsack recognized the USDA’s responsibility to work with state and local governments on reforestation and improving forest health, especially after the fires break out. These projects are supported with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as through partnerships from the Good Neighborhood Authority. Idaho has five Good Neighbor Authority partnerships with agencies such as the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management intended to restore landscapes across the state.
What the USDA is doing to help farmers, ranchers
What the USDA is doing to help farmers, ranchers
Vilsack said the USDA is working to help states increase the processing capacity of the livestock industry by expanding markets, reducing inspection fees, and funding grants to increase processing capacity. He also said that to reduce the rising costs of agriculture, states should encourage their private sectors to participate in precision agriculture to use resources more effectively and efficiently.
Ultimately, the elimination of food deserts is another goal that Vilsack said the USDA is working with states to achieve. This may interest you : How ‘Daily Ageism’ Affects Health. By implementing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and providing increased funding for school nutrition programs, Vilsack said this will increase family access in rural communities and food deserts to healthy food.
Increase access to health care in the West
Increasing health care access in the West
Several governors attending the annual meeting were concerned about reduced access to health care, particularly for rural communities, following the end of the public health emergency declared during the pandemic. Read also : In China, science-based approaches to the virus are being sidelined. The deadline for the health emergency is October 13th.
Becerra said there is “a clear sweet spot” when it comes to working with Western governors to increase access to health care in rural communities through telemedicine and expanded behavioral and mental health care.
“The future is telemedicine and it’s here to stay,” Becerra said.
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As telemedicine broadens the range in which people can receive care, it also opens up more avenues for providers to provide poor or illegitimate healthcare, he said. Becerra said provider responsibility will need to be the foundation of the evolving healthcare system. He said this means providing valuable care that ensures the patient’s health and not counting on getting paid whether or not adequate care has been provided. Becerra also said that this could change how people are charged for the provider’s services based on the type of care they receive.
Another way health care is expanded by the agency is through the implementation of harm reduction programs that provide care options for drug users. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said fentanyl poisoning is incredibly stigmatized and the use of tools like fentanyl strips, which detect fentanyl, is unlikely to be supported by those who see drug use as a moral choice.
The recent launch of the 988 national lifeline for suicide prevention has also been discussed as part of the expansion of mental health care. Becerra said that while the lifeline will save many lives, it falls short of the quality of help it should be due to the inability to pinpoint the caller’s location the way 911 operators do.
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