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Health officials flag youth vaping and roll out billboards, school outreach
Summary
Health and Human Services reported expanded NARCAN distribution, new billboards addressing addiction and vaping education initiatives targeting middle and high schools, with plans for adult outreach and a school-sponsored billboard contest.
Health and Human Services staff told the council the county’s NARCAN distribution continues and peer recovery services are expanding to meet transitions clients and pregnant clients who use substances. Staff said two peer system navigators and one coordinator were hired as of Dec. 23, and the department is trying to fill two additional case-management positions.
Officials described a planned public-education push on vaping and broader substance-use prevention. The county has produced four new billboards that will appear in coming weeks; the campaign will address fentanyl, alcohol and general addiction support. Staff said the vaping portion of the effort will include a billboard contest for middle and high school students, with cash prizes and the winning student designs used publicly.
Health staff summarized preliminary school-survey work: Hayward, LCO and Winter schools will contribute vaping-survey responses; Hayward’s survey will be completed in late February or early March. The staffer said one mini-survey found about 30% of teenage respondents reported encountering meth in vaped substances. The presenter cautioned survey response rates are low in some instances (the county cited a 16% response rate on a district Youth Risk Behavior Survey at Hayward), and staff warned that student self-reporting may undercount actual use.
Council members asked about legal enforcement and ordinances; presenters said much regulation is currently handled by local ordinance and that state or federal legislation was still in development. Staff said some tribal jurisdictions already prohibit vaping on reservation lands. The health presenter said the opioid settlement dollars are funding some of the vaping and prevention work, which allows outreach to younger age groups than some other grant sources would permit. The presenter said the department will also push adult-targeted education materials home through schools to reach parents who do not attend community sessions.
Council members discussed whether the county can obtain more detailed court citation counts and whether school assemblies or other parent-targeted outreach could improve impact; staff said they will pursue more data and emphasized the difficulty of engaging adult caregivers directly.
