Communities and Schools requests Dickenson County pledge for regional opioid‑prevention partnership

Brett Davis, chief development officer for Communities and Schools of Appalachian Highlands, asked the Board of Supervisors for a pledge of $10,000 per year for five years from Dickenson County as the county’s direct‑distribution contribution to a regional substance‑use prevention partnership. Davis said the $10,000 figure is a local share calculated at $2,000 per Communities and Schools staff member assigned to the county (five staff members in Dickinson County under the program model).

Davis described two program strands: direct, individualized case management for students identified as at risk of dropout and whole‑school attendance‑improvement programming. He said the prevention component would add substance‑use prevention lessons and one‑on‑one reinforcement for students already case‑managed by the student support coordinators. Davis said the county pledge would be used as local match to pursue approximately $900,000 per year from the Opioid Abatement Authority general fund via a competitive application; the local direct‑distribution funds would also support the day‑to‑day delivery of prevention services.

Supervisors asked whether the prevention work would duplicate existing behavioral‑health services. Davis said Communities and Schools focuses prevention and case management on students identified as at risk and would coordinate with behavioral health and other school partners to avoid duplication. Board members agreed the request should be considered during the county’s budget process; Davis said the larger grant application is due April 1 and asked the county to consider the pledge before that deadline. The board agreed to review the request during upcoming budget discussions and to respond before the April 1 application deadline.