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Oregon City receives update on youth opioid and fentanyl prevention grants; outreach and school programs underway
Summary
Oregon City Together updated the City Commission on progress from two grants funding youth mental-health and fentanyl awareness campaigns, describing peer-led materials, counselor training, billboards and upcoming community events and inviting local leaders to join a new Communities That Care effort.
Oregon City Together gave the Oregon City Commission an update on two prevention grants that fund youth mental-health and fentanyl-awareness efforts in the city.
The presentation, delivered by Anne Haynes, coalition director, and Robin Bergeron, community facilitator, summarized activities funded by the youth opioid prevention grant and a Metro enhancement grant: a peer-led youth mental-health campaign titled “Resilience isn’t born. It’s built,” training two school counselors on an evidence-based six-week intervention for teenagers, school poster campaigns, social media ads, a billboard on E. 12th Street, distribution of branded stress-relief items and planned parent-and-student workshops in April and May.
Haynes said the mental-health work included five training sessions with 42 students at Oregon City High School’s AP psychology class and that campaign materials — posters, bracelets and “brick”-shaped stress balls — will be distributed to local schools and displayed in downtown businesses. “Resilience isn’t born. It’s built,” Haynes said, describing the student-chosen message.
The Metro enhancement grant supports a fentanyl and vaping-awareness campaign called “Know the Risk,” which students helped research and build into videos, slide decks and an assembly program. Haynes said the campaign included a Halloween poster contest with 55 entries and that 15 enlarged posters were posted in downtown businesses. The campaign also includes a “hidden in plain sight” mock teen bedroom exhibit and a community forum in May that will feature law-enforcement and public-health speakers.
Robin Bergeron described early stages of the Strategic Prevention Framework grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She said the grant will fund a multi-year Communities That Care process in partnership with Oregon City and Gladstone school districts to assess youth needs and implement evidence‑based prevention programs. Bergeron asked commission members and other leaders to consider serving as “key leaders” in that process and handed out contact information and a QR code for more details.
Brian Shaw, a community member, thanked Chief Davis and city staff for securing funding and urged continued local investment in prevention. Haynes noted that a parent survey shows measurable increases in awareness since program start and said the coalition will continue to collect pre‑ and post‑surveys to measure outcomes.
No formal action was taken at the presentation; staff and coalition members invited commissioners to participate in the Communities That Care planning and to attend upcoming events.
The commission acknowledged the update and thanked Oregon City Together for the report.
