Building the Prevention Capacity of Field-Based Regional and County-level Extension Specialists
College of Health and Human Sciences
HDFS
Statewide
(Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan)
- Health & Wellbeing
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Health & Wellbeing
Other Topics:
4-H & Youth, Community & Economic Development
Lead Mentor:
Dave MacPhee
Director of Community-University Partnerships, Prevention Research Center; Faculty Emeritus, HDFS
Internship Overview:
Over the past 20 years, CO’s opioid overdose death rate has increased by 950%. Between 2019 and 2020, CO opioid deaths increased by 38%, with much of this increase driven by prescription opioids and heroin, and fentanyl death rates increasing by 258% alone. A needs assessment of CO residents, conducted by CSU’s Office of Engagement and Extension (2021), found that substance abuse prevention and treatment was the 3rd most frequently mentioned issue. In response to this epidemic, CO Governor Polis commissioned a 2019 statewide task force to make recommendations for the State’s behavioral health system overhaul. This report mentioned prevention 112 times, specifically recommending an increase in CO’s statewide prevention workforce capacity by providing high-quality TA on best practices for implementing evidence-based programs (EBPs).
Through USDA’s Rural Health and Safety Education grant (2023-2026), the Prevention Research Center is funded to provide prevention science training and technical assistance (T/TA) to regional and county-level Extension specialists. Extension’s presence within the community is an important mechanism for disseminating prevention work, and CSU’s Office of Engagement and Extension (OEE) is focused on serving Colorado communities in this capacity. For instance, CSU OEE has hired Regional Health Specialists to work with local Extension offices and other stakeholders to coordinate health-related efforts regionally. Additionally, our recent CO Extension staff needs assessment confirmed the priority of prevention work. Of the 41 Extension staff who completed the assessment, 85% reported they were moderately or very interested in learning about prevention science related knowledge and skills, and 70% or more wanted to learn more about prevention science, best practices in planning and implementing community-based prevention work, and program evaluation. These hires, our CO Extension needs assessment data, CSU’s OEE’s Rural Health Initiative, and CSU’s recent granting of faculty status to Extension staff create a statewide demand for the prevention science capacity-building trainings and research-to-practice technical assistance tools.
For this project, our team will adapt and provide T/TA to Extension staff related to identification, selection, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of evidence-based prevention programs (EBPs) across CO. These training and technical assistance materials will include research-to-practice tools; online asynchronous learning modules; in-person workshops, and more. Through this internship, this student will help our team in adapting, creating, and disseminating T/TA events and materials.
Through USDA’s Rural Health and Safety Education grant (2023-2026), the Prevention Research Center is funded to provide prevention science training and technical assistance (T/TA) to regional and county-level Extension specialists. Extension’s presence within the community is an important mechanism for disseminating prevention work, and CSU’s Office of Engagement and Extension (OEE) is focused on serving Colorado communities in this capacity. For instance, CSU OEE has hired Regional Health Specialists to work with local Extension offices and other stakeholders to coordinate health-related efforts regionally. Additionally, our recent CO Extension staff needs assessment confirmed the priority of prevention work. Of the 41 Extension staff who completed the assessment, 85% reported they were moderately or very interested in learning about prevention science related knowledge and skills, and 70% or more wanted to learn more about prevention science, best practices in planning and implementing community-based prevention work, and program evaluation. These hires, our CO Extension needs assessment data, CSU’s OEE’s Rural Health Initiative, and CSU’s recent granting of faculty status to Extension staff create a statewide demand for the prevention science capacity-building trainings and research-to-practice technical assistance tools.
For this project, our team will adapt and provide T/TA to Extension staff related to identification, selection, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of evidence-based prevention programs (EBPs) across CO. These training and technical assistance materials will include research-to-practice tools; online asynchronous learning modules; in-person workshops, and more. Through this internship, this student will help our team in adapting, creating, and disseminating T/TA events and materials.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
Intern responsibilities may include (1) conducting literature reviews on prevention science EBP selection, implementation, adaptation, evaluation, and sustainability, (2) translating literature review findings into technical assistance materials that are easy to comprehend and are actionable for Extension prevention practitioners, (3) working with Senior Extension Advisory panel and incorporating feedback into T/TA provided, and (4) monitoring, collecting, evaluating, and/or reporting on needs assessment or T/TA evaluation data and use these data to improve T/TA efforts. Technical materials created through this project may include research-to-practice tools (examples available at https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/prc/implementation-toolbox/prc-tools/), online courses built in our learning management system, in-person workshop presentations and learning activities, guidebooks, and more.
Goal: Complete a draft research-to-practice tool, learning management system learning module outline, or workshop presentation and outline around the selection, implementation, adaptation, evaluation, or sustainability of prevention EBPs by the end of the summer 2024 internship.
Objective 1: Conduct literature reviews, resource scans, etc. on prevention topic and create an outline with references of the tool/learning module/workshop.
Objective 2: Translate outline into research-grounded, easily comprehendible, actionable, and graphically appealing product (tool, learning module course, workshop presentation, etc.).
Goal: Complete a draft research-to-practice tool, learning management system learning module outline, or workshop presentation and outline around the selection, implementation, adaptation, evaluation, or sustainability of prevention EBPs by the end of the summer 2024 internship.
Objective 1: Conduct literature reviews, resource scans, etc. on prevention topic and create an outline with references of the tool/learning module/workshop.
Objective 2: Translate outline into research-grounded, easily comprehendible, actionable, and graphically appealing product (tool, learning module course, workshop presentation, etc.).
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The key audience for our training and technical assistance products will be regional and county-level Extension specialists statewide. In the process of creating their own tool, learning module, or workshop presentation, the intern may engage with the Senior Extension Advisory Panel to receive feedback on their idea or product. Additionally, they will be encouraged to seek additional feedback from statewide Extension personnel when needed.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
We anticipate student(s) will learn important processes of translational prevention science work. Much of what the PRC does is behind-the-scenes prevention efforts that showcase and elevate the important work of direct service providers and on-the-ground practitioners. By participating in meetings, working with their mentors, and researching prevention science literature, they will learn about our technical assistance model, which is based on the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) (Wandersman et al., 2007) and mirrors successful TA models such as Penn State’s EPIS. The ISF framework is comprised of three interactive systems (Prevention Synthesis and Translation System, Prevention Support System, and Prevention Delivery System; see Figure 2) and was developed to bridge the gap between research and practice. Our work for this project will focus on the Prevention Synthesis and Translation System, by creating T/TA products for program selection, adaptation, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability based on systematic reviews of implementation science literature. Additionally, for professional development learning opportunities, the intern will have access to our current available prevention training courses on our learning management system. These courses include topics such as prevention science overview, risk and protective factors, implementation science, and more.
