2020, COVID-19. All kinds of uncertainty/changes. Changes in the way we live, visit others, run errands, go to work, travel, etc, but most of all the way we think.

Dealing with FEAR and the UNKNOWN… a time when more than any other in one’s lifetime, a person’s job was either defined as, “Essential,” or “Non-essential. ”During this time, EXTENSION has become more importantly an ESSENTIAL FIGURE!  This year brings full circle several things many could never imagine experiencing in their lifetimes… feeling of defeat, new normal, QUARANTINE!  

With that being said, working with the clientele the Expanded Food Nutrition Program (EFNEP) Assistant does, “face to face/hands-on” teaching, and people having to quarantine, she knew she had to come up with a way to teach and not let this group of vulnerable individuals “fall between the cracks,” because this was a substance abuse rehab group she works with. 

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) “Researchers say it’s too soon to have definitive data on the pandemic’s effects, but early numbers are concerning. So far, alcohol sales have risen by more than 25%. A recent analysis of 500,000 urine drug tests by Millennium Health, a national laboratory service, also showed worrisome trends: an increase of 32% for nonprescribed fentanyl, 20% for methamphetamine, and 10% for cocaine from mid-March through May. And suspected drug overdoses climbed 18% in the same period, according to a national tracking system run out of the University of Baltimore.”

First and foremost not being very computer saavy, the EFNEP Assistant had to get out of her comfort zone into an area that she definitely was not comfortable with (Computer Technology) being used as a platform for “Virtual teaching,” which meant not only to start instructing in this manner, but, to install the computer program, learn how schedule, host, and implement this type of teaching on a regular basis without losing important core content from the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum.  This set up, etc. was able to be achieved through the assistance of support staff helping her to get this set up.

Second, the EFNEP Assistant had to convince a brand new Director of the Independence House (Corbin, Kentucky) that the assistant had never met, that the Extension’s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) was a very vital component their clients could continue to receive and benefit from tremendously. The EFNEP Assistant went on to explain how the assistant didn’t want the clients to not be able to have this same opportunity of classes, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, as their past clients had.  However, it would have to be in the form of their continued partnership and through virtual teaching, which would be a great alternative thus allowing the clients to continue to enroll, participate, and graduate from this particular program, not only helping them in their treatment, everyday life, but also in the legal system giving them the tools to re-enter society with many pieces of the NEP curriculum to help them to succeed.    After a very in depth telephone conversation, both agreed that they wanted to continue this collaboration.   The director assured the EFNEP Assistant, that with all she had heard of the program, the director definitely wanted to be able to continue incorporation of it, and the director would check with their supervisor to see if programming would be allowed to proceed in that manner so they could proceed on, with this particular plan.  After approval of the rehab’s director, both the facility director and EFNEP Assistant decided the best case scenario would be to try and start “virtual” programming immediately.  

The rest is another piece of history, the EFNEP Assistant scheduled and hosted her first meeting which was totally different for her and the clients.  From the very first Zoom meeting conducted with the clients in May, 2020 came additional meetings with this clientele, and are still continuing.   More than two dozen participants have enrolled prior to our September 30, 2020 end of the year programming, and continue to do so, thus staying on track for success and completion of the NEP program.