LiveWell Crawford County updates commissioners on school prevention programs and community services

Brad Stroud, director of LiveWell Crawford County, updated the Crawford County Commission at a September meeting on the coalition’s school-based prevention programs, community services and recent health-equity projects across the county.

Stroud told commissioners LiveWell is running the Crossroads/Real Colors substance-use prevention curriculum in local schools and is piloting a tobacco- and vaping-prevention curriculum, while also operating community programs such as laundromat events and newly established community gardens.

The Crossroads program is a 12-session life-skills curriculum that “all revolves around those first three things: values, attitudes and behaviors,” Stroud said. He told commissioners it has been taught at Girard for five years, was expanded to Lakeside last year and is under consideration by Pittsburg Middle School. Stroud said facilitators teach the program two days a week and that some schools have integrated the sessions into their life-skills or science schedules. He noted the program was adapted to fit fifth-grade students in one district.

Stroud and commissioners discussed barriers to wider adoption. Crossroads’ 12-session length makes scheduling difficult in schools that use block schedules, and recent changes in school testing rules have required programs with pre- and post-tests to be offered on an opt-in basis, which organizers said reduced participation. LiveWell said it has worked with the Crossroads curriculum provider to offer the material without the formal pre/post testing to ease deployment in classrooms while still gathering informal feedback.

Stroud described Catch My Breath, the vaping- and tobacco-prevention program, as available either through LiveWell staff or as a train-the-trainer model for school employees. He said LiveWell trained Lakeside staff last year and is scheduling training for Pittsburg school staff in September so those schools can run the program internally.

Community programs included recurring laundromat events that provide free washes; Stroud said turnout varies by town, with Girard events drawing about 80–120 washes per event and some Pittsburg events drawing nearly 200 but facing resistance from individual laundromat owners. He said those events produce testimonials that participants use savings for food and utilities as well as to keep children in clean clothes for school.

LiveWell has also partnered on community gardens. Stroud said a recently built raised-bed garden was assembled with donated materials from Home Depot and is producing vegetables for local food distribution.

Under LiveWell’s Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT), Stroud said the group has placed solar-powered device-charging benches at multiple public sites to improve waiting-area amenities. He described the counts as two benches on the Pitt State campus, one at the Arma City Library and two to be placed by the Pittsburg Parks and Recreation department. Diane Gamble, LHEAT chair, was identified by Stroud as pursuing crisis-intervention (CIT) training with the goal of becoming a train-the-trainer for local law enforcement de-escalation training.

Stroud also reported that the Southeast Kansas Player Health Alliance (formerly the Southeast Kansas Problem Gambling Task Force) is conducting outreach about gambling risks and the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline, and that youth sports gambling and gaming-related loot-box mechanisms are emerging concerns in their outreach.

Commissioners asked questions about expansion and urged LiveWell to keep the commission informed. One commissioner suggested LiveWell return with an update every six months, and another offered to help publicize programs through local media channels.

Stroud said staffing and facilitator training remain constraints: facilitator training is costly and time-intensive, and broader adoption across multiple districts likely will require training additional staff or creating a full-time position if demand increases.

The update closed with commissioners expressing support for the programs and asking staff to continue outreach and reporting. LiveWell did not request formal action at the meeting.