Valley County opioid-response coalition outlines grants, youth prevention and suicide-prevention gains

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…