(Greenfield) The Adair County Board of Supervisors approved $30,000 in funding for Crossroads Behavioral Health Services.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the board heard from two representatives from CrossRoads, Brittany Palmer and Jess Kutter. Palmer shared that in Iowa, according to the 2021 Iowa Youth survey, at least half of students have suicidal thoughts and made a suicidal plan. Palmer also shared that according to the 2023 State of Mental Health in America, Iowa is ranked 30th in the nation for youth with severe depressive episodes that did not receive mental health services.
CrossRoads offers two classes: one for 7th graders and the other for high school students. The Middle School level course is Universal and called Too Good for Drugs This includes 10 sessions that meet twice a week that will be available for all 7th graders in the school. The High School course is a Reconnecting Program for a max of 12 students. Students will meet every day for a semester and will receive a credit for taking the class. This course would make a mental health counselor available at the high school.
Data from the Reconnecting program shows outcomes like 50% in hard drug reduction, 80% reduction in suicidal risk behavior, 18% increase in GPA, 35% reduction in drop out rates, and 75% reduction in depression symptoms.
The Board approved a $30,000 budget for Cross Roads to cover materials, mileage, curriculum planning, FTEs, and more. This money will be sourced through the Opioid Settlements Funds. This stems from a November 2022 $42.6 million agreement with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Opioid Makers: Teva and Allergan. The Teva and Allergan pharmaceutical companies are providing $6.6 billion nationally and agreeing to change their business practices.
