The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) announced Rebecca Graham of Wright County Public Health was chosen to be part of a select group of fellows in a new rural leadership program. It’s called Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions. Program fellows will learn how to adopt bold solutions to the persistent challenge of substance use in rural communities. They’ll work closely with innovators who have established successful programs in other rural communities.
The participants were selected through a competitive process.
“I am incredibly humbled to be part of this collaborative and excited to do a deeper dive into Wright County’s rural substance use related needs,” Graham said.
The yearlong program, which kicked off in December, will have a strong focus on creating engagement across rural communities and sectors. The program will demonstrate how diverse systems with different missions can engage with one another to serve justice-involved individuals more effectively with substance use or co-occurring disorders. The fellows include elected county leaders, county and tribal judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders, public health and behavioral health practitioners, emergency management professionals, reentry coordinators, and individuals working in community nonprofits.
About The Reaching Rural Initiative
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State Justice Institute (SJI), with support from the Institute for Intergovernmental Research co-sponsor the project. The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a key partner. To learn more, visit https://rural.cossapresources.org/reachingrural.
About Becky Graham
Becky has worked for Wright County Public Health for more than 10 years as a Public Health Nurse. She began her substance use-related work in 2018 when Wright County was selected to pilot opioid programming using Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) funds. Since then, her work has grown to include other substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana under a Drug-Free Communities grant. Becky also serves as a Chief Strategist for the Wright County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council, a countywide council aimed at ensuring national settlement dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.