Iron County Health Coalition CARA Project to prevent and reduce methamphetamine and opioid use in Iron County, Missouri - The Iron County Health Coalition (ICHC) seeks funding through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crises Grant Program to prevent and reduce youth opioid, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and prescription drug misuse in Iron County, Missouri. Iron County is a rural community facing significant substance use challenges, including methamphetamine treatment admission rates that are more than three times the national average and high vulnerability to opioid overdose, opioid-related emergency room visits, and overdose deaths. While current rates of youth opioid and methamphetamine use remain relatively low, local stakeholders recognize that widespread adult substance misuse, intergenerational addiction, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and normalization of substance use create substantial risk for future youth substance use disorders. The proposed project will serve youth ages 9–20, parents, caregivers, schools, healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations, and community stakeholders throughout Iron County. Guided by the Strategic Prevention Framework and the Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change, the Coalition will implement a comprehensive prevention approach that combines evidence-based education, youth leadership development, environmental prevention strategies, systems change, and community collaboration. The project is guided by two primary goals: (1) prevent and reduce youth opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse by increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors, and (2) change community norms, systems, policies, and environmental conditions that contribute to youth substance use risk. Key project activities include implementation of the evidence-based Too Good for Drugs curriculum in four local school districts; expansion of youth prevention leadership opportunities; a community-wide medication safety initiative focused on safe storage and disposal of prescription medications; development of a coordinated prevention and referral network involving schools, healthcare providers, behavioral health agencies, law enforcement, and youth-serving organizations; and community scans designed to identify and address environmental conditions that increase youth substance use risk. The Coalition will also implement targeted prevention messaging related to fentanyl, counterfeit pills, methamphetamine, prescription drug misuse, and the connection between adult substance use and youth risk. Expected outcomes include increased youth knowledge regarding substance use risks, increased parent and caregiver knowledge of prevention strategies, expanded youth leadership participation, strengthened referral pathways for youth and families, increased adoption of safe medication storage and disposal practices, improved coalition and community prevention capacity, and implementation of prevention-supportive practices across multiple community sectors. Long-term outcomes include reduced youth risk factors, strengthened family and community protective factors, reduced youth access to substances, and prevention of future opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse among youth. ICHC will leverage its existing Drug-Free Communities (DFC) infrastructure, established partnerships, and experience implementing community-based prevention initiatives to ensure successful project implementation and sustainability. Through collaboration among schools, healthcare providers, behavioral health agencies, law enforcement, parents, youth, faith communities, and other stakeholders, the proposed CARA project will strengthen community capacity to address the local drug crisis and create safer, healthier environments for youth throughout Iron County.
