Bear River Health Department pitches north-county coalition, new funding for overdose prevention

Alina Pierce of the Bear River Health Department told the Fielding Town Council on Jan. 25 that public-health funding has arrived to support opioid-overdose prevention work and to help build a localized north-county coalition focused on youth and family resilience. "We have been provided some funding to do some work, with opioid overdose prevention," Pierce said, outlining plans to organize a Bear River Valley coalition for communities that feed into Bear River High.

Pierce, who identified herself as a Bear River Health Department employee with two decades of local experience, described the countywide Box Elder Safe Communities Coalition that has operated for about 25 years and said the new effort is intended to have a more local "north end" feel. "We're just trying to focus on all of the healthy, wonderful, positive things that are happening for our youth and our families in the area," she said, adding that the coalition will use SHARP survey data collected by school districts to target priorities.

The presentation outlined social-development strategies—skills building, bonding experiences and clear standards—that the health department plans to use in programs, and Pierce emphasized community leadership: "I'll be helping to lead and guide, but I won't be making all of the decisions. It'll be the community members that will be doing that." She invited nominations for an annual "Shine Your Light" recognition event and said roughly 15 people have participated so far in the organizing group.

Council members asked about youth engagement and local partners; Pierce said the group will recruit adults to start and then convene a youth work group as the coalition matures. She said she has presented to nearby city councils and hopes to pivot to a more localized structure "after the first of the year" so that community-specific efforts can begin.

Pierce provided contact information for residents interested in volunteering and encouraged members to propose nominees for recognition at the coalition's events. The council offered brief supportive comments but did not take formal action on the presentation. The health department did not provide a detailed funding breakdown during the presentation; Pierce described the funding and programmatic approach but did not specify an exact grant amount in the meeting record.

Next steps: the Bear River Health Department will continue outreach to local councils and stakeholders and will convene coalition meetings as it develops bylaws and a nomination process for community recognition.