Valley County commissioners heard an update Oct. 15 from the Valley County opioid-response consortium (VCOR) about grant-funded prevention, recovery and youth workforce projects across the West Central Mountains region.

The presentation, led by Central District Health project director Shelley Hitt and partners from the consortium, reviewed VCOR's grant history and current programs. Hitt said Central District Health received a $200,000 planning grant in 2018, a roughly $1 million implementation grant beginning in 2020 that helped start a recovery center in McCall, and a four-year behavioral health grant that began Sept. 1 of the current grant cycle. "The majority of the funding went to starting and supporting the recovery center that was created in McCall," Hitt said.

Why it matters: The consortium said federal grants from HRSA and other sources have funded most services in the region; presenters emphasized sustainability planning required by HRSA and local steps to keep programs operating if grants end.

Presenters described three program areas supported by the current behavioral health grant: youth prevention (run by the West Central Mountains Youth Advocacy Coalition, YAC), behavioral services funded through Ignite Idaho Family Resource Center, and a newly awarded Pathways grant to recruit and train high-school students into behavioral-health careers. Hitt said the Pathways award was one of 12 nationwide and will be led locally by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of Southwest Idaho as a subgrantee.

Prevention work: Patty Giardina, executive director of the West Central Mountains Youth Advocacy Coalition (YAC), summarized local use of the Icelandic prevention model, which relies on youth well-being surveys and community coalitions that translate survey findings into local policies and programs. Participation in the youth surveys expanded from 60 students in two schools in 2021 to about 500 students across six schools this spring. Giardina said the program has helped shift school policies from punitive to treatment-oriented approaches in some districts and that YAC-supported coalitions now run after-school programs, teen mentorship and youth advisory boards in multiple communities.

Hope Squad and suicide prevention: Giardina and other presenters highlighted Hope Squad, a peer-based suicide-prevention program adopted in all 10 regional schools serving grades 5–12. "Students in our Hope Squad were three times more likely to reach out to a trusted adult when a peer was in distress," Giardina said, citing pre- and post-test evaluation results.

Royce Hudson, a professor of social work at Boise State University who serves as program evaluator for the consortium, reported local suicide data: "From the beginning of this year until August, we've had seven suicides reported by Scott Carver's office. Five of the seven had positive toxicology screens for either drugs, alcohol, or both," Hudson said. He said the cases included one intentional overdose and several gunshot deaths; about half of the deaths were among young people.

Crisis response and overdose prevention: Ignite Idaho representatives described a staffed recovery/resource center in McCall, year-round naloxone availability and overdose-response training offered by Central District Health. Hitt described local take-back events and year-round collection at a McCall pharmacy as measures to reduce leftover prescription medications in homes. The consortium also noted stigma-reduction campaigns (CourageToConnectIdaho.com), a mascot and outreach materials designed with a contracted media firm to remain community assets after grant funding ends.

Workforce pipeline: Presenters said the Pathways grant will offer eleventh- and twelfth-grade students stipends, supervised work experiences and seminars to expose them to counseling, peer recovery work and case management; local partners will pilot internships, shadowing and mentorship in Cascade and other districts. "We're hoping to give them tangible experiences that they can carry with them that will inspire them to participate in AHEC programs," Hitt said.

Services for families and access issues: Ignite Idaho described its one-stop resource center model—intake, in-home behavioral-health services, parenting classes with childcare and meals, and recovery-wellness support groups—and noted ongoing challenges with provider recruitment in a frontier region, bilingual service capacity and housing and transportation barriers for clients.

Steering committee and governance: Hitt described an active steering committee and bylaws that manage letters of support and other coalition functions. She said VCOR has worked regionally with Southwest District Health, county probation, school districts and the Valley County Sheriff, and that a sustainability plan is required by HRSA and pursued from the start of grant periods.

Ending note: Presenters asked the commissioners to consider signage and county messaging to connect visitors and residents in crisis to 988 and local supports; commissioners and presenters discussed options for roadside messaging, gas-pump outreach and digital boards at canyon entrances.