Cooperative Agreement NH28CE003086

BEAVER COUNTY PREVENTION COALITION DFC INITIATIVE 2020 - THE BEAVER COUNTY PREVENTION COALITION (BCPC) IS REQUESTING FUNDING FROM THE DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR THE COMMUNITY OF BEAVER CITY IN SOUTHWEST UTAH. BEAVER CITY IS THE COUNTY SEAT OF BEAVER COUNTY, AND WAS SETTLED IN 1856 BY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS (LDS/MORMON) FAITH.BEAVER IS APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES FROM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AND 225 MILES FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. BEAVER IS A GATEWAY TO LOCAL CANYONS AND MOUNTAIN RANGES. BEAVER IS AN ACCESS POINT TO FISHLAKE NATIONAL FOREST WHICH OFFERS A VARIETY OF OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES SUCH AS CAMPING, FISHING, HUNTING, AND WINTER SPORTS. RESIDENTS OF BEAVER HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND ARE VERY PROUD OF THE BEAUTIFUL GEOLOGY THEIR HOME HAS TO OFFER.THE COMMUNITY OF BEAVER IS INTERCONNECTED WITH MULTIPLE NEARBY COMMUNITIES. THE MAJOR NEIGHBORING CITY IN THE COUNTY, MILFORD, IS ABOUT 30 MILES WEST, BUT IS DIFFERENT FROM BEAVER IN OVERALL COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS AND CULTURE. THE YOUTH OF BEAVER AND MILFORD SERVE AS THE MAJOR SOURCE OF CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE TWO OTHERWISE SEPARATED COMMUNITIES. ALTHOUGH BEAVER HAS ITS OWN HOSPITAL, LOCAL GROCERY STORE, AND VARIOUS OTHER BASIC SERVICES, RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY ARE STILL LIMITED. MANY BEAVER CITY RESIDENTS TRAVEL TO NEIGHBORING COUNTIES FOR OTHER BASIC NEEDS SUCH AS LARGER-SCALE GROCERY SHOPPING, SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES, AND FAMILY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.BEAVER CITY IS HOME TO MOST OF THE POPULATION OF BEAVER COUNTY. THE 2010 CENSUS REPORTS THAT OF THE APPROXIMATE 6,600 PEOPLE LIVING IN BEAVER COUNTY, AN ESTIMATED 3,100 OF THOSE PEOPLE LIVE IN BEAVER CITY. 93% OF RESIDENTS ARE WHITE (NON-HISPANIC), WITH 5% HISPANIC, 1% NATIVE AMERICAN, AND 1% OTHER. THE MEDIAN AGE IS 35, WITH APPROXIMATELY 2,050 ADULTS. 25% OF THOSE ADULTS ARE CONSIDERED SENIORS. HOME OWNERSHIP IS HIGH IN BEAVER, WITH APPROXIMATELY 74% OF ALL RESIDENTS OWNING AS OPPOSED TO RENTING THEIR HOMES. 89% OF RESIDENTS HAVE ATTAINED AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, WITH 16% ALSO ATTAINING A BACHELORS DEGREE. BEAVER HAS SOME INCOME AND POVERTY DISPARITIES. AVERAGE INCOME FOR MALES IS $46,563 WHILE FEMALES AVERAGE $24,792, AND POVERTY AMONG WHITES AT 5% WHILE HISPANIC RESIDENTS EXPERIENCE POVERTY AT ABOUT 17%.THE DOMINANT FAITH OF BEAVER IS THE LATTER DAY SAINTS (MORMON), WITH OVER 50% OF RESIDENTS IDENTIFYING AS LDS. THE LDS RELIGION HAS SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON THE CULTURE AND NORMS RELATED TO SUBSTANCE USE, AS LDS FAITHFUL ARE REQUIRED TO ABSTAIN FROM ATODS. FOR THIS REASON, BEAVER'S ILLICIT DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE RATES ARE SOME OF THE LOWEST IN THE NATION; HOWEVER, THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO DISCUSS OR ADDRESS SUBSTANCE USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS. THE RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE OF THE LDS FAITH HAS PROVIDED BOTH RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.BEAVER CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH TWO EXITS ON I-15. I-15 IS A MAJOR DRUG TRAFFICKING CORRIDOR, WHICH INFLUENCES THE AVAILABILITY OF PROBLEM SUBSTANCES AND PLACES AN ADDED STRAIN ON OUR LOCAL SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND HIGHWAY PATROL. THE SIZE OF THE COUNTY AND THE HIGH PERCENTAGE OF WILDERNESS AREA ALSO CREATE STRAIN, AS LOCAL SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES CAN BE AS MUCH AS TWO HOURS AWAY FROM THEIR NEAREST BACKUP, AND ENFORCEMENT OF SOME DRUG PROBLEMS LIKE UNDERAGE DRINKING CAN BE PROBLEMATIC.YOUTH IN BEAVER ARE USING TOBACCO PRODUCTS, PRIMARILY E-CIGARETTES, AND DRINKING ALCOHOL UNDERAGE AT ALARMING RATES. ALCOHOL USE IS CONSIDERED A SOCIAL NORM, AS YOUTH OFTEN OBTAIN ALCOHOL WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION. BEAVER WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUPPORTIVE LOCAL LEGISLATORS PASS A CITY ORDINANCE THAT BANNED SPECIALTY VAPE SHOPS FROM COMING TO THE CITY, BUT YOUTH ARE STILL BOMBARDED BY E-CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS AND A RISING ADULT USE RATE. AS A RESULT, E-CIGARETTE YOUTH USE RATES HAVE STEADILY INCREASED SINCE 2013.