Cooperative Agreement NH28CE003014

PYRAMID COALITION: YEAR 6 YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION FOR HIDALGO COUNTY, NM. - HIDALGO COUNTY, IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF NEW MEXICO, BORDERS ARIZONA TO THE EAST AND MEXICO TO THE SOUTH. IT IS 3,440 SQUARE MILES (LARGER THAN DELAWARE AND RHODE ISLAND COMBINED). POPULATION DENSITY PER SQUARE MILE IS 1.4, WITH 1,753 HOUSEHOLDS IN THE COUNTY. THE MAJOR COMMUNITIES ARE LORDSBURG, VIRDEN, ANIMAS, RODEO, PLAYAS AND COTTON CITY. TWO THIRDS OF THE COUNTY?S 4,198 RESIDENTS LIVE IN LORDSBURG (POPULATION 2,797), THE COUNTY SEAT AND MARKET CENTER. PER CAPITA INCOME IN HIDALGO COUNTY IS $20,275, NEARLY $6,000 LOWER THAN NEW MEXICO?S PER CAPITA AVERAGE. 36.3% OF THE CHILDREN UNDER AGE 18 LIVE IN POVERTY IN THE COUNTY, COMPARED TO 25.9% FOR NM AND 18.4% FOR THE U.S. (NM DEPT. OF HEALTH IBIS 2017). THE COUNTY IS A ?MAJORITY MINORITY? COUNTY WITH ALMOST 60% OF RESIDENTS IDENTIFYING AS NOT WHITE AND PRINCIPALLY HISPANIC/LATINO; 39.5% OF THE POPULATION ARE SPANISH SPEAKING (US CENSUS 2014-18). AS A COUNTY BORDERING MEXICO, HIDALGO IS A FEDERALLY DESIGNATED HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING AREA- HIDTA.LACK OF EDUCATION, POVERTY, AND UNEMPLOYMENT ARE WIDELY RECOGNIZED RISK FACTORS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. NEW MEXICO IS NEAR THE TOP IN THE NATION FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUG RELATED DEATHS AS WELL AS SUICIDE, RANKING 1ST IN THE STATE FOR THE LATTER. (NM DOH 2020 EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFILE)ON THE NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY SURVEY OF ADULTS IN HIDALGO COUNTY 27.5% (N=180) INDICATED THAT THEY HAD DRANK IN THE LAST 30 DAYS AND OF THAT NUMBER 35% (N=60) INDICATED THAT THEY HAD ENGAGED IN BINGE DRINKING IN THE LAST 30 DAYS. HIDALGO COUNTY RANKS 1ST IN THE STATE FOR ADULT HEAVY DRINKING, 2ND IN BINGE DRINKING, AND 3RD IN DEATHS DUE TO DRUG OVERDOSE (NM DOH 2017 EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFILE). HIDALGO COUNTY?S HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE IS ONLY 79.2%. THE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE, LORDSBURG MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS (509 STUDENTS) AND ANIMAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (177 STUDENTS) (US CENSUS 2014-18, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS 2019).ONCE HOME TO VIBRANT MINING AND RAILROAD INDUSTR IES, HUNDREDS OF JOBS WERE LOST OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES AS COMPANIES DOWNSIZED OR CLOSED COMPLETELY. CENSUS POPULATION ESTIMATES FROM 2019 SHOW A 14.3% POPULATION DECREASE IN THE LAST 9 YEARS. TODAY, SEVERAL HUNDRED FARMS AND RANCHES ARE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. INTERSTATE 10 (I-10) IS THE MAJOR EAST-WEST HIGHWAY IN THE COUNTY AND LORDSBURG IS A FLAG-STOP FOR THE UNION PACIFIC/AMTRAK RAILROAD LINE.HIDALGO COUNTY'S REMOTENESS FROM METROPOLITAN CENTERS HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY AND ON THE ABILITY OF SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION. THE COUNTY IS DESIGNATED AS "FRONTIER" WHERE RESIDENTS TYPICALLY DRIVE OVER ONE HOUR ONE-WAY TO A GROCERY STORE, PHARMACY OR CINEMA. THE NEAREST HOSPITAL IS OVER ONE HOUR FROM LORDSBURG AND RESIDENTS OFTEN TRAVEL TWO TO FOUR HOURS ONE-WAY TO RECEIVE SPECIALIZED HEALTH CARE. REMOTENESS, LOW POPULATION AND DISTANCE FROM THE STATE CAPITAL OF SANTA FE AND MAJOR URBAN MARKETS MAKE HIDALGO?S RESIDENTS INVISIBLE POLITICALLY WITH LITTLE INFLUENCE TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES, RESOURCES AND BENEFITS OTHER COUNTIES IN THE STATE ENJOY.CHRONIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE ALONG WITH A DISPROPORTIONATE LACK OF RESOURCES CONTRIBUTED TO THE SELECTION OF HIDALGO COUNTY AS THE RECIPIENT OF A COMPETITIVE STATE-FUNDED SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM IN 2008. A SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION WAS FORMED THE SAME YEAR AND MODEST BUT MEASURABLE REDUCTIONS IN YOUTH DWIS, BINGE DRINKING AND ALCOHOL USE HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED.