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York County All On Board tells Clover board prevention work, Good Samaritan trainings helped reduce fatal overdoses
Summary
York County All On Board briefed the board on youth substance-use prevention, reporting outreach, Good Samaritan trainings and community drop-box collection; coalition leaders credited prevention and naloxone distribution with reducing overdose deaths.
Ashley Watts, executive director of York County All On Board, told the Clover School District Board of Trustees that the coalition’s prevention and education efforts have been a central element of the county’s response to youth substance use.
Watts said prevention programs and environmental strategies — including retailer compliance checks, prom-safety pledges and community Narcan distribution — are core activities. "For every dollar we spend in prevention, we save about $20 later on," Watts said, framing prevention as a cost-effective approach.
Watts walked the board through the coalition’s recent work: community medication-safety outreach at back-to-school events; a prom-pledge program for eleventh- and twelfth-grade students; training for restaurant and retail staff on checking IDs; and a series of “Good Samaritan” trainings that explain protections for people who report overdoses.
The coalition reported a drop in overdose deaths from recent highs and credited broader community preparedness. Watts told the board that the coalition has offered 24 free Good Samaritan trainings in the last 18 months, distributed 772 naloxone (Narcan) kits through its outreach partners and educated about 2,205 parents on medication safety and overdose response.
Watts also described an outreach effort that includes seven medication-disposal drop boxes countywide; the coalition said those boxes have collected nearly 9,000 discarded pills. She said that greater distribution of naloxone and family awareness have led first responders and families to act more often at overdose scenes, which the coalition believes contributed to a reported reduction in deaths.
The coalition also supports student-facing prevention activities such as a talent show run by student volunteers and social-media campaigns created by high-school media classes. Watts noted the York County student perception survey (administered every two years) is a key tool for directing prevention interventions; she said the survey showed alcohol remains the most-used substance among students, with vaping and marijuana following.
Board members thanked All On Board for the presentation and expressed support for continuing partnership with schools and local agencies.
The presentation was given during the public portion of the meeting and did not require board action.
