Frenchtown community coalition: working to prevent underage substance use, promote mental health, and foster community collaboration in frenchtown, montana through extensive youth engagement - project…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $1.25 million to the County of Missoula (doing business as Missoula City-County Health Department) on September 30, 2025, under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243) to fund the Frenchtown Community Coalition.

The Frenchtown Community Coalition implements evidence-based prevention programs to reduce underage alcohol, cannabis, and e-cigarette use and promote mental health in Frenchtown, Montana. Missoula Public Health operates the program, which targets youth in the Frenchtown School District (approximately 1,315 students in grades pre-K through 12) in the rural Frenchtown community (population 1,958). The coalition develops a scalable peer-led mentorship model through a student-led Youth Leadership Committee (YLC), with a framework adaptable for county-wide youth engagement. Implementation strategies include a comprehensive needs assessment to identify substance use and mental health trends; expanded cross-sector partnerships with youth, parents, and community stakeholders; evidence-based programs, trainings, and curriculum; and youth engagement through the YLC. The Strategic Prevention Framework guides substance use prevention and mental health promotion efforts.

Performance occurs in Missoula, Montana from September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2030. The project is classified as a Project Grant.

Frenchtown community coalition: working to prevent underage substance use, promote mental health, and foster community collaboration in frenchtown, montana through extensive youth engagement - project name: frenchtown community coalition (FCC) summary: the frenchtown community coalition (FCC), a substance use prevention program through missoula public health, works to reduce underage alcohol, cannabis, and E-cigarette use and promote mental health in frenchtown, the FCC works to implement evidence-based prevention programs while empowering youth through the student-led youth leadership committee (YLC). The FCC will develop a scalable mentorship model through the YLC to strengthen peer-led prevention efforts in frenchtown, while also providing a framework that can be adapted for broader county-wide youth engagement. The FCC will engage community partners to expand prevention efforts, fostering an environment where youth can thrive by making healthy choices and building resilience for long-term well-being. Population of focus: youth in the frenchtown school district. Frenchtown is a rural community with a population of 1,958 (U.S. Census, 2022), located in western montana. The frenchtown school district enrolls approximately 1,315 students in grades pre-K through 12. Strategies and interventions: the FCC will implement the strategic prevention framework to address substance use prevention and mental health promotion through: 1) comprehensive needs assessment to identify substance use and mental health trends and risk/protective factors; 2) expanded cross-sector partnerships with youth, parents, and community stakeholders; 3) implementation of evidence-based programs, trainings, and curriculum; 4) youth engagement through the youth leadership committee (YLC) project goals and measurable objectives: goal 1: strengthen community collaboration to prevent underage substance use and promote youth mental health. Objective 1.1: by september 30, 2030, the FCC will strengthen community collaboration by increasing coalition membership from 12 to 25 active members representing all 12 community sectors, as measured by signed coalition involvement agreements and meeting attendance records. Objective 1.2: provide at least two collaborative training opportunities for FCC members in the strategic prevention framework and evidence-based substance use prevention and mental health promotion practices, by september 29, 2026, as measured by training sign-in sheets. Goal 2: reduce underage substance use among frenchtown youth. Objective 2.1: by september 29, 2030, decrease past 30-day alcohol use among frenchtown students from 24.5% (2022) to 19.5% or lower, as measured by montana prevention needs assessment (MPNA) data. Objective 2.2: by september 29, 2030, decrease past 30-day marijuana use among frenchtown students from 16% (2022) to 11% or lower, as measured by MPNA data. Objective 2.3: by september 29, 2030, decrease past 30-day E-cigarette use among frenchtown students from 16% (2022) to 11% or lower, as measured by MPNA data. Goal 3: enhance mental health awareness and access to support services for youth. Objective 3.1: by september 29, 2030, implement at least two evidence-based mental health education programs in ftsd, as measured by program implementation records. Objective 3.2: by september 29, 2030, decrease the percentage of frenchtown students reporting depressive symptoms from 48.8% (2022) to 35% or lower, as measured by MPNA data. Estimated number of people to be served annually: 3,200