Calvert County health officer presents YRBS findings; county expands school-based behavioral services

Calvert County Health Officer Dr. Taneza Mora told the Student Safety & Well‑Being Advisory Committee on July 1 that the county’s most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS) data show persistent levels of vaping, alcohol and cannabis use and rising indicators of depression among students.

Dr. Mora, who presented 2022–23 survey results to the committee, said roughly one in five high‑school students reported current electronic vapor product use in 2023 and that middle‑school rates were substantially lower. "School health really is public health," she said, arguing the health department wants to use the data to target prevention and interventions.

Why it matters: committee members pressed presenters on mental‑health and suicide indicators and on how the health department and schools can use multiple data sources to target resources. Denise Dickerson, interim director of behavioral health, described the county’s growing school‑based behavioral program, including a pilot to provide medication management in three schools and efforts to track outcomes with measurement‑based care.

Key findings presented

- Electronic vapor products: Dr. Mora summarized slides showing about 18–19 percent of high‑school students reported current use of electronic vapor products in 2023; middle‑school students were about 6.8 percent. She cautioned some slide values varied by subgroup and by small sample sizes.

- Substance use: Current alcohol use in the last 30 days was reported by about 26 percent of high‑school students and about 7.6 percent of middle‑school students. Current marijuana use in high school was reported at about 15.6…