10.9 percent of youth surveyed here use e-cigarettes, 9.5 percent use tobacco Ozark County chosen for grant to focus on substance abuse prevention for youth

Ozark County was chosen as one of nine counties to be a part of youth-centered substance use prevention through a federal grant program. The program was discussed at the Ozark County Substance Abuse Task Force’s July 12 meeting at Gainesville First Baptist Church’s community event center where 12 members were present.

Community Partnership of Ozarks (CPO) Regional PFS Grant Project Director Anna Simonson attended the meeting as a special guest. She shared information on the Regional Partnership for Success Grant with the group.

The Regional Partnership for Success Grant is a federal grant that was awarded to the state of Missouri’s Department of Behavioral Health. The project is intended to direct youth-centered substance use prevention efforts in counties across the state based on regional and local data.

Using the data, the Prevention Resource Center at CPO was selected to manage a portion of this grant in nine of the 21 counties CPO serves.

Ozark County was chosen as one of those counties based on the following data from the 2020 Missouri student survey, which is a optional survey to students in sixth through twelfth grades in Missouri:

• Of those surveyed, 10.9 percent currently or in the past 30 days had used e-cigarettes while 9.5 percent of those surveyed were currently or within the last month using tobacco in the form of cigarettes or chew

• The root causes and local conditions identified were perception of enforcement of prohibitory policies, such as age of access laws, carding procedures, and adult-provided access.

The planned activities for Ozark County were to conduct tobacco compliance checks and engage in youth education/empowerment. 

Anna’s hopes for continuing and building upon this project are the following:

1. Conduct tobacco compliance checks and host responsible retailer and buyer trainings

2. Host Search Institute Workshops: Developmental Assets: The Power of One, The Power of Many; Developmental Relationships and Developmental Assets; Essentials of Asset Building for Trainers and Facilitators

3. Host community roundtables and discover how to best collaborate with Ozark County youth in the efforts to build protective factors and reduce those risky behaviors

Anna welcomes any comments/ questions at asimonson@cpoozarks.org

More information on Missouri Student Survey for Ozark County can be found at : https://dmh.mo.gov/alcohol-drug/mobhew/missouri-student-survey-reports/2022

Community members who are interested may contact OCSATF at the email address: emailOCSATF@gmail.com or by mail at Ozark County Substance Abuse Task Force, PO Box 793 Gainesville, MO 65655.

Monthly meetings are always held the second week of each month at the First Baptist Church community event center on Third Street in Gainesville. Those interested in joining the efforts to combat substance abuse in the area are welcome to attend.