Benton county above the influence coalition - benton county iowa is a rural area located in east central iowa between two of the state?s major communities: cedar rapids (POP. 132,000) to the south and…

Benton county above the influence coalition - benton county iowa is a rural area located in east central iowa between two of the state?s major communities: cedar rapids (POP. 132,000) to the south and waterloo/cedar falls (POP. 170,000) to the north. Benton county is included in the cedar rapids metropolitan statistical area. The majority of the workers commute; only 42.2% of residents work in benton county. According to quick facts of the united states census, the county?s estimated 2019 population is 25,645 with 23.2% of the population being under the age of 18. Benton county comprises 718 square miles and in 2010 had a population of 36.4 per square mile. The county is predominately white; 97.4%. The high school graduation rate for the county is 94.1% with 22% of the population holding a bachelor degree or higher. The 2019 median income for benton county is $67,729 with a poverty level of 8.8%. According to the bureau of labor statistics, the december 2020 unemployment rate for benton county is 3.2%. Benton county has 3 major school districts with each being a combination of communities consolidating together: vinton/shellsburg, benton community and belle plaine. Each of the school districts offers open enrollment. These school districts are the center of their communities providing a wide variety of extra-curricular activities such as sports, music, drama, etc. That are well attended by members of the student bodies and adult members of the community. In addition, there is a private religious school that includes the grades k-8TH.beneath the positive statistics, however, are pockets of poverty, acceptance of youth substance use, and easy access to substances. One in 3 students received free or reduced lunches in the vinton-shellsburg and belle plaine school districts and 1 in 5 at benton community. The prevailing attitude among benton county teens is that most high school students are using some kind of substance. IT is not difficult for youth to obtain substances. According to 2018 iowa youth survey 18% of benton county 11TH graders said IT was easy to obtain methamphetamine and 35% to obtain prescription drugs. In the same survey, 10% of all students surveyed reported there is no risk from using methamphetamine with the highest number being with 6TH grade students at 14%. Only 64% of all students believe there is a great risk of using prescription medications that were not prescribed to them with 13% of 6TH graders believing there is no risk at all. The ease of access and the lowering perception of harm are two major concerns in the prevention of methamphetamine and opioid use in our communities. In addition, in the past year there have been seven suicides in benton county causing increase attention to the issues of mental health and the impact substances are having on our communities. Through efforts of local law enforcement and other partnering organizations a county mental health access has been established during 2020 to assist with mental health situations. And over the past few years our county has been HIT with a couple significant natural disasters that have impacted individuals on multiple levels. The most recent being in august 2020 when our entire county was damaged by the derecho causing many homes, farms, and businesses to be destroyed.