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Richland County outlines yearlong push on mental health, substance misuse under CHIP
Summary
Public health staff described a year of Community Health Improvement Plan work focused on mental health stigma reduction and alcohol-safety efforts, including business toolkits, community trainings and measures to track outcomes.
Evan Ewing, a public health specialist with Richland County Health and Human Services, told the Community and Health Services standing committee on Oct. 2 that county implementation of its Community Health Improvement Plan began in May 2024 and is focused on two priorities: substance misuse and mental health.
The plan targets causal factors such as community drinking norms and stigma that limit access to mental-health services. "We started implementation in May 2024, so we're a little over a year," Ewing said, describing work groups, outreach and measurable strategies the county is using.
Why it matters: the CHIP sets multi-year objectives that guide public-health programming that county officials say aim to reduce alcohol-related harms and improve adult mental-health outcomes. Staff framed current efforts as early-stage implementation with both short-term activities and longer-term outcome measures.
Ewing summarized work on alcohol safety that includes compliance checks with law enforcement and event-safety assessments for public gatherings. The county is offering a beverage-server training on Nov. 3 at the Phoenix Center for people who hold liquor licenses.
On mental health, Ewing said the county formed a new work group and has pursued several community interventions: a mental-health business toolkit distributed after a 21-business survey (13 respondents asked for additional resources); a May mental-health-awareness campaign that placed window clings at more than 70 businesses; and a series of stigma-reduction presentations using the Make It Okay curriculum.
"Make It Okay is a curriculum and campaign developed by HealthPartners in Minnesota," Ewing said, noting two county staff are trained facilitators and that the county has presented the curriculum to workplace and public audiences. He reported three presentations since August, including a public library session with 11 attendees and two employee sessions at Schmidt Woodland Hills totaling about 42 participants.
Ewing described the county's measurement approach for long-term outcomes: county health rankings data on reported poor mental-health days and the next community health assessment cycle anticipated around 2027. For youth substance-use trends, he pointed to Youth Risk Behavior Survey data and to emergency-room visit tracking as additional long-range measures.
County members asked about access to clinicians and psychiatric services; Ewing and committee staff noted limited local capacity and encouraged use of telehealth and community screening resources while continuing outreach to employers, health facilities and community groups to expand upstream supports.
The presentation ends with staff planning further business outreach, wider distribution of protective-factor resources (physical activity, social support, mindfulness) and continued training and event-safety work.
Looking ahead: staff said they will continue to report implementation measures to the committee and to refine short-term metrics while tracking the CHIP's longer-term objectives.
