Henry County LIV Coalition brings student ambassadors to national forum; presenters say county earned $480,000 prevention grant

Leaders of the Henry County LIV Coalition and six student ambassadors described a recent trip to Washington, D.C., on April 20 and credited the experience with strengthening youth substance-use prevention work in local schools.

Miranda Wright, coordinator for the Henry County LIV Coalition, and Shay Beck, director of health promotion and disease prevention for the Henry County Health Department, told commissioners the trip to the CADCA National Leadership Forum included training on coalition building, youth engagement and substance-use prevention strategies. Wright said six Henry County students attended with coalition staff and participated in workshops and meetings.

Student ambassadors who spoke during the meeting described meetings with Representative Shreve and breakout sessions where they worked on youth-led prevention strategies. Elijah Blankenship, a junior at New Castle High School, said he most valued the connections he made with students from other states. Owen Barrett, also a New Castle junior, said a youth breakout session where students worked together to produce a task stood out. Cameron Brewer, a junior from Knightstown High School, said the group had a conversation with Representative Shreve about local school incidents and Narcan distribution; he said the conversation coincided with the representative publicly supporting the Stop Fentanyl Act.

Presenters said the county’s youth advisory efforts helped Henry County secure a Teen Linked to Care grant worth $480,000 for the next two and a half years. That grant amount and timeframe were presented to the commissioners as a result of local coalition work and the student advisory board already in place; the meeting transcript does not attribute that statement to a single named presenter, so it is reported here as information given to the board.

Why it matters

Coalition leaders said the Washington trip strengthened the county’s youth prevention infrastructure and helped students practice advocacy. The Teen Linked to Care grant, as presented to commissioners, will fund prevention-related activities in local schools and positions the county to expand youth engagement in substance-use prevention.

Details and next steps

Wright said the students attended sessions on youth substance-use prevention and met with peers from other states; the students visited historical sites and took part in public-speaking opportunities. Coalition leaders said they will use the grant resources to expand the youth advisory board into all county schools and continue youth-led prevention activities.

Ending

Commissioners heard the presentation as part of the meeting’s informational items and did not take a formal vote on the coalition presentation. Student ambassadors thanked the commissioners for funding the trip and said they planned to continue advisory and prevention work in their schools.