HOPE4Youth CARA Project - Project Abstract Summary A Community Response to Youth Substance Use in Mayes County, Oklahoma Mayes County HOPE is a community coalition that has worked since 2008 to keep young people in northeastern Oklahoma safe, healthy, and drug-free. Through this project, the coalition will help prevent and reduce the use of opioids, methamphetamine, and the misuse of prescription drugs among youth ages 12 to 18 across all of Mayes County, a rural community of roughly 40,000 residents that includes the towns and school communities of Pryor, Adair, Chouteau, Locust Grove, Osage, and Salina. Nearly one in four county residents is under the age of 18, and the coalition is committed to reaching every one of these young people with prevention that works. This work matters because Mayes County, like many rural communities, has carried a heavy and lasting burden from the opioid and methamphetamine crisis. For years the county has experienced some of the highest rates of drug-overdose deaths in the state, and prescription medications, methamphetamine, and fentanyl continue to affect local families. Recent surveys of local students confirm that prevention must reach young people early, before substance use begins. The coalition believes that a healthier future is within reach when schools, parents, healthcare providers, pharmacies, law enforcement, faith communities, and young people themselves work together toward a shared goal. The purpose of this project is twofold: to prevent and reduce youth use of opioids, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs, and to build a community culture in which the misuse of these substances is widely understood to be harmful and unacceptable. To accomplish this, the coalition will bring trusted, evidence-based prevention education into classrooms across all six school districts; partner with local pharmacies and prescribers to promote safe storage and disposal of medications; expand the county's network of permanent medication drop boxes and host community take-back events; offer education programs for families, older adults, and community professionals; and empower local teens to lead positive, youth-driven awareness campaigns. Each of these efforts is designed to reduce young people's access to these substances while strengthening the protective relationships and healthy choices that help them thrive. Over the five-year life of the project, the coalition expects to see measurable, lasting results: fewer young people reporting recent use of opioids, methamphetamine, or prescription drugs; a growing understanding among students that misusing these substances carries real risk; new local policies that support safe medication storage and disposal; and more unused medications safely removed from homes and out of reach of youth. Progress will be measured through a trusted statewide student survey and reviewed by an independent evaluator, ensuring that the project remains effective, accountable, and responsive to the community it serves. Above all, Mayes County HOPE aims to leave behind a stronger, more connected community where young people grow up healthy, supported, and free from the harms of substance misuse.
