Advocates ask Rowan County to fund Communities That Care youth-prevention program

Several residents urged Rowan County commissioners during the meeting to allocate opioid-settlement funds to implement Communities That Care, a coalition-based, evidence-backed youth-prevention model.

The model, proponents said, is carried out by a full-time coordinator working with existing local agencies and follows a five-stage process. "This model has a demonstrated return on investment of nearly $6 for every dollar used to fund its implementation," said Megan, representative, DownHome North Carolina (local chapter).

Why it matters: Supporters told commissioners the approach reduces youth harm and aligns services across schools, public health and community organizations, which they said would produce long-term social and economic benefits for Rowan County.

Megan said Communities That Care can be implemented inside existing systems and is not intended to create a new parallel structure. She told the board the model requires a trained, full-time coordinator and a sequence of five program stages carried out by local partners. "The model is able to be implemented in already existing systems that are within the community, and it is meant to support already established organizations," she said.

Michael Pope, a volunteer and member with DownHome North Carolina, apologized for earlier outreach that some stakeholders had described as abrupt and said the group has since met with county and community organizations to build relationships. "Please forgive us in our enthusiasm," Pope said. He listed meetings with local stakeholders and said DownHome does not seek money for its organization but for implementation of the Communities That Care program.

Mark Ortiz, a DownHome member who said he ran for the commissioners in 2024, told commissioners the county needs a clearinghouse to coordinate youth services. "The establishment of a coordinator to oversee this would fill that need," Ortiz said, describing benefits such as identifying service gaps and reducing duplication.

Speakers from the group outlined possible funding through opioid-settlement spending categories. Brandy Gardener Bird, a DownHome member, cited one eligible category labeled "g6" and said the strategy could include coalition staffing, educational campaigns and training. She addressed concerns about school surveys under a state parents' rights law: "It says the parents have the right to reject it. So there's no reason we couldn't survey the school," Gardener Bird said, noting parental opt-out could reduce response rates but not preclude sampling.

Organizers said they had already begun meetings with local groups including WiseUp Rowan and school and health department staff and plan to attend a community meeting to discuss the proposal further. No formal funding decision or motion to allocate opioid funds occurred during the meeting.

The presenters provided quantitative claims from evaluations of the model: nearly a 30% reduction in youth violence and more than a 25% reduction in youth tobacco use and delinquency, and a reported return on investment "of nearly $6 for every dollar" invested. Those figures were cited by speakers from DownHome; the county did not present independent verification during the meeting.

The request prompted no formal direction or vote by the commissioners at this session; proponents said they will continue stakeholder meetings and refine a funding path.