(Atlantic) The Atlantic School Board received a report from Cass County Public Health Director Megan Roberts and Community Wellness Coordinator Grace McAfee at Wednesday’s meeting.
Roberts explained that the Community Health Assessment is conducted every three to five years in Cass County. She reviewed the full community health assessment analysis, which identified the top three priorities as cancer, healthy eating/active living, and mental health.
Roberts said mental health remains the number one priority for Cass County, so she wanted to focus on what they are doing in partnership with the school districts in the county. Grace McAfee spoke about the Hope Squad program, which is implemented in all three school districts in Cass County.
McAfee noted that statistics show emergency room reattempts for suicide are very high in southwest Iowa compared to the rest of the State of Iowa.
McAfee said the program is funded for up to three years. After that, they will reevaluate to determine whether the program is working or if there is something new and better to implement.
Roberts and McAfee thanked the Iowa West Foundation, the Cass County Community Foundation, and Apex Wind Energy for funding this year’s curriculum and training. Funding for the next two years will come from either opioid settlement funds or potential grant funding.
