Gordon Prevention Initiative is a drug-free coalition in Gordon County Georgia. The goals are to increase community capacity and collaborate to reduce youth substance use. - The Gordon Prevention Initiative formed in 2011 from Teen Health Task Force subcommittee of the Family Connection Collaborative. Although the task force focused on all issues related to teens, the committee recognized the need for the formation of a drug-free coalition to address local youth substance abuse prevention efforts. Gordon County is located in the Valley and Ridge section of the lower Appalachian Mountains in northwest Georgia. From the US Census American Community Survey, Gordon County has an estimated population of 57,963 as of July 1st, 2019. Incorporated municipalities include Calhoun, Fairmount, Plainville, Ranger, and Resaca. The county seat, the City of Calhoun, is conveniently located on I-75 between Atlanta and Chattanooga and offers a step back in time as you walk in the footsteps of Civil War soldiers and Cherokee Indians. A unique aspect of Gordon County is that it is the only county designated with rural status along I-75 north of Atlanta. In addition to agriculture and service industries, the economy of Gordon County is rooted in manufacturing and both heavy and light industry. The population is 77.0% White alone (non-Hispanic or Latino), 4.4% African American, 16.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, and 0.4% Pacific Islander. The population is 50.7% female and 49.3% male. Gordon County ranks 79th of 159 counties with 357.6 acres in the state. An estimated 24.4% of the county's residents are 18 or younger, while 14.8% are 65 or older. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission County Economic Status Report for Fiscal Year 2020, Gordon County is a transitional County with a 3-year average unemployment rate, 2015 – 2017, of 5.4% and per capita market income, 2017, at $25,747, a poverty rate, 2013 – 2017, of 18.8% with 29.6% of children living at or below 100% of the federal poverty line. Gordon County has two public school systems. Gordon County school system has two high schools and two middle schools, with a student enrollment for middle schools and high schools of 3,438. Calhoun City School system has one high school and one middle school with a student enrollment of 2,058. Calhoun City Schools are predominantly white with 26.7% Hispanic/Latino and 11.7% black or other. Gordon County Schools have a 19.2% income below poverty line while Calhoun City Schools are at 23.8% for the same measure. Calhoun City Schools have 51% rate for free or reduced lunch in Gordon County Schools have a 58% rate. Gordon County has one private school system with John L. Coble Elementary and Georgia-Cumberland Academy Appalachia’s history of condoning youth substance use, both in cultural and family norms in this mountain region often accept adolescent substance use as a rite of passage. Based on the data from the Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0, it was concluded that a majority of youth who reported using alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana in Gordon County, begin using before the age of 15, with alcohol being the most used substance by youth in this county. In the narrative that follows, we will present Gordon County’s plan to strengthen collaborative efforts to reduce substance use among youth in the community.
