Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Pathways - The 2021 Idaho Opioid Overdose Vulnerability Assessment notes that the ongoing opioid epidemic has created an urgent need for interventions to decrease prescription opioid risks, while enhancing access to needed overdose prevention services. Idaho’s opioid prescribing rate exceeds the national average, and the rate of illicit drug seizures has risen exponentially. HRSA data indicates that in Idaho, 88.72% of individuals in need of treatment for substance use disorder/opioid use disorder do not receive it. The incidence of suicide in Idaho is the sixth highest in the nation and the ninth leading cause of death in the state. One in 10 Idaho students has self-reported attempting suicide one or more times in the past 12 months and 28% self-reported engaging in some sort of self-harming behavior. Idaho ranks fortieth in the nation for the ratio of prevalence of mental illness among youth to access to care. The Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline reported 25,567 crisis contacts in 2024—a 13% increase over calendar year 2023. These troubling statistics are amplified in rural, resource-limited areas like Valley County. In this vast region of less than 15,000 residents, social determinants of health create significant barriers to accessing critical behavioral health services. The area is comprised of far-flung communities where inclement weather and/or lack of transportation prohibit travel for services much of the year. When travel is possible, community members are often stigmatized for seeking help. Area residents surpass state and federal levels for unemployment and uninsured households. Families living below the federal poverty threshold and/or qualifying as Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed—that is, households that are employed but can’t meet basic needs such as food and healthcare—also exceed state and national averages. From January to March 2024 alone, there were four drug overdose deaths in Valley County linked directly to fentanyl and carfentanil. While statistically small, tragedies like this ripple through small, rural communities in innumerable ways and highlight the significant local need for increased behavioral health infrastructure. In October 2024, the Idaho Behavioral Health Council submitted a Strategic Action Plan to the Governor, Legislature, and Supreme Court. The updated statewide plan includes strategies to assess and materially improve Idaho’s behavioral health system to the benefit of all Idahoans. Workforce tops the list of recommendations selected for implementation, citing strategies to “increase recruitment and retention to strengthen the behavioral health professional workforce.” Career pathway development and early career awareness is essential to broadening the behavioral health workforce. The proposed project unites local providers, youth-focused organizations, and other stakeholders though a powerful community consortium to address area needs in an upstream project model that establishes pathway programs to introduce youth to behavioral health careers and to facilitate admittance into formalized training programs; engages youth to develop and implement peer-driven behavioral health programming; and explores innovative, multi-sectoral approaches to ensure the continued availability of activities in Valley County once the grant period of performance ends.
