OUR HISTORY
2005
A grassroots effort to address underage substance abuse was started by Police Chief, Bill Robinson, and Mayor Sharon Brown. A passionate small group representing several sectors of the community began meeting to discuss needs and interventions.
2006
Clay Counts begins - The group chose "Clay Counts" as a name to emphasize the focus of the coalition, which was to ensure the health and wellness of ALL Clay County citizens. The group was organized as a branch of the Clay County Health Department and promoted through a series of Town Hall Meetings.
2007
Through the support of the Kansas SPF_SIG grant, the strategic prevention framework was utilized to specifically address the problem of underage drinking.
2007-2011
Activities to address underage drinking were in full swing with the hiring of two Project SUCCESS counselors who championed the initiatives. Some activities implemented during this time included:
Saturation Patrol
Sticker Shock Campaign
Every 15 Minutes
Not In My House Campaign
Drug Testing in the schools
Student groups focusing on new students, children of alcoholics, and leadership.
Car Crash Simulation
Positive Addictions Month
Awareness Activities in the Schools
2015
Suicide Prevention Activities Programs Grant provided support to address the needs of students regarding depression and suicide. As a result of this funding, the team developed policies and suicide protocol as well as various student interventions.
2018
USD 379 added the position of a School, Community, and Family Connections Counselor to develop a community-wide, comprehensive approach to addressing the health and wellness of our youth.
2019
Clay Counts was awarded a planning grant through the Kansas Prevention Collaborative to address underage alcohol use and suicide prevention through research-based interventions over the next three years.
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Clay Counts earned a one-year, Opioid Data to Action (OD2A) grant to utilize a trauma-informed approach to addressing the opioid crisis in our community. This funding allowed us to provide a community resource fair, bring in a presenter to talk to students and community members about the stigma of depression, recruit and train a speakers bureau to visit with various groups in the community about trauma, and begin the implementation phase for the IRIS network.
2020
Clay Counts was awarded a second OD2A grant to support a partnership with Riley County Corrections to support the new Drug Court community initiative and to further advance the implementation of the IRIS network.