MTSU Center for Health & Human Services

10/23/2026

🌱 Meet the Team Behind the TN AGWell Network! 🤝

We’re excited to introduce the dedicated individuals behind the TN AGWell Network, a collaboration between Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) South!

Our team is committed to promoting mental health awareness, strengthening community connections, and increasing access to stress and well-being resources for farmers, agricultural workers, and rural communities across Tennessee.

Through collaboration, education, and outreach, we hope to create a supportive network that encourages conversations about stress and well-being and connects individuals with valuable resources.

💚 Get to know the faces behind our mission! We look forward to connecting with you and working together to support the well-being of Tennessee’s agricultural communities.

🔗 Learn more: https://chhs.mtsu.edu/farmstress/

10/13/2026

Interested in supporting Tennessee's farming and agricultural communities? We're hosting our third information session tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14, at 11:30 a.m. Central, for a 30-minute virtual information session about TN AgWell Network, a new statewide initiative supporting farmer stress and well-being. Registration is required to receive the link.

We're bringing together partners across Tennessee to strengthen connections, resources, and support for our agricultural communities. We'd love to have you join us!

Additional session dates and times are also available. Learn more and complete our Partner Interest Form and register for a session.

Please message us for link to register!
MTSU School of Agriculture

10/12/2026

Interested in supporting Tennessee's farming and agricultural communities?
Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, October 13, at 9:00 a.m. Central, for a 30-minute virtual information session about TN AgWell Network, a new statewide initiative supporting farmer stress and well-being. Registration is required to receive the link.

We're bringing together partners across Tennessee to strengthen connections, resources, and support for our agricultural communities. We'd love to have you join us!

Additional session dates and times are also available. Learn more and complete our Partner Interest Form and register for a session.

Please message us for link to register!

MTSU School of Agriculture

10/12/2026

Were hiring! The MTSU Center for Health and Human Services is looking for a Grants and Development Specialist to join our team!This is a great opportunity for someone with experience in grant development, fundraising, and building partnerships who wants to help advance meaningful work in health and human services.

Interested or know someone who might be a great fit? Please apply or share! Application review begins October 26. Link is in the comments.

10/09/2026

Happy Fall from the CHHS Team!

10/09/2026

We are excited to share about a new grant MTSU received along with a statewide leadership role in agricultural well-being. We are hosting TEN information sessions this month with details about the new TN AgWell Network - a statewide effort supporting farmer well‑being and stress awareness. Project lead and PI is Dr. Chaney Mosley, Ph.D., MTSU School of Agriculture and CHHS' Dr. Cynthia Chafin, MTSU Center for Health & Human Services as Co-PI and MTSU Center for Health & Human Services program coordinator Kerry Foley.

Tennessee’s farmers face long hours, financial pressure, unpredictable weather, and the weight of keeping our food system moving. Their well‑being isn’t just an agriculture issue; it’s a rural community issue.

Middle Tennessee State University has received a USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network South (FRSAN South) grant, with MTSU serving as Tennessee’s Lead Partner Organization through a partnership between the MTSU School of Agriculture and the MTSU Center for Health & Human Services. These sessions will introduce the project, share priorities, and highlight opportunities for agricultural organizations, educators, health partners, and community stakeholders to get involved.

Read the full media release: https://mtsunews.com/2026/10/01/school-of-agriculture-chhs-frsan-south/

Learn more or register for listening sessions: https://lnkd.in/ebwZKNj8

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MTSU School of Ag receives grant for stress, well-being initiative with Center for Health and Human Services by mtsunews 1 October 2026 Faculty/Staff News Top Stories MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University has been named Tennessee’s lead partner organization for the Farm and Ran...

10/07/2026

Last week, MTSU Center for Health and Human Services and partners had the opportunity to present at the Tennessee Public Health Association Annual Conference on work underway to expand access to opioid use disorder treatment in rural Tennessee. Our presentation, “Expanding Mobile MAT Access and Assessing Community Stigma in Rural Tennessee,” highlighted a collaborative initiative serving six rural Tennessee counties: Claiborne, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, and Marshall.

Through our partnership with Cedar Recovery, mobile medication-assisted treatment services are helping bring evidence-based treatment closer to individuals and communities that may otherwise face significant geographic, transportation, and other barriers to care.

As part of the broader initiative, the MTSU Public Health Program partnered with the Center for Health and Human Services to lead the regional stigma assessment, including a household survey examining community perceptions of opioid use disorder, medication-assisted treatment, and stigma with Kahler Stone DrPH, MPH leading the research activities with support from public health student Sara V. Rodriguez Molina and others.

As the accompanying infographic illustrates, there are encouraging signs of greater understanding and acceptance of OUD treatment- but stigma remains an important barrier.

A key takeaway from this work: expanding treatment access is only part of the solution. Community education, trusted local voices, and intentional stigma-reduction efforts remain essential to connecting people with care.

Thank you to those who presented this work: Cynthia Chafin, Ph.D., MCHES, NBC-HWC, Director MTSU Center for Health and Human Services and Project Director, Kahler Stone DrPH, MPH Associate Professor, MTSU Public Health Program, Christina Tayler Byrd, MPH, CHES, CPT, Senior Program Coordinator and Project Co-PI, MTSU Center for Health and Human Services, and Paul Trivette, Cedar Recovery.

We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Cedar Recovery and for the many community partners across rural Tennessee helping us meet people where they are.

10/01/2026

Calling all MTSU students AND adult learners in Tennessee! Thanks to a new grant CHHS received from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, there are opportunities for students and adult learners (do not need to be enrolled at MTSU) to build a future with a career in rural health with program costs covered. An interest form is available on our website at https://chhs.mtsu.edu/mtrhc/ along with additional details on the flier below.

Enrolling for:
Fall: Community Health Worker and Medical Assistant
Spring: Community Health Worker, Medical Assistant, AND Certified Peer Recovery Specialist

09/29/2026

We are pleased to share this webinar for farm and agricultural families hosted by the AgriSafe Network. Look for more exciting news about CHHS' partnership with the MTSU School of Agriculture on the TN AgWell Network project and more sharing of resources that support agricultural mental health in the weeks ahead.

Email from AgriSafe Network Sept. 29 at 6 PM CT     FREE WEBINAR Enhancing Relationships to Reduce Stress Tuesday, September 29 6 PM - 7 PM CT   Communication and relationships are common stressors

07/07/2026

From our Colleagues at Mental Health UK

What can affect the mental health of British military personnel, and the support that is available.