In the rural stretches of northern Nevada, where the nearest specialty clinic can be hours away and transportation is a constant barrier, Frontier Community Coalition (FCC) has spent more than four decades supporting its communities through prevention, recovery, and youth leadership initiatives.
Founded in 1983, FCC serves the frontier communities of Lovelock, Winnemucca, Bartle Mountain, and Hawthorne. The coalition works to prevent substance misuse, support recovery, promote mental wellness, and empower the young people who will carry these communities forward.
Frontier communities face a unique set of challenges. Limited access to substance use and mental health services, geographic isolation, and transportation barriers can mean that residents often go without the support they need. FCC has built its approach around closing those gaps and by mobilizing what exists within the community itself.
That consists of hosting prevention campaigns, educational workshops, and recovery support activities. In addition, they convene coalition meetings that bring together schools, parents, businesses, healthcare providers, law enforcement, tribal partners, and local government around a shared vision. FCC also ensures that young people are leading the work.
The crown jewel of FCC’s programming is the Mustang Youth Team, a youth-led prevention and leadership initiative that gives young people tools to effect change. As genuine stakeholders in the health of their communities, the Mustang Youth Team members are responsible for educating their peers and advocating for local policy change.
Currently, the Mustang Youth Team is setting its sights on a new milestone. Members are preparing to present to the Lovelock City Council and Pershing County Commissioners in support of a Social Host Ordinance. The youth have been digging into local data, studying environmental prevention strategies, and developing presentations designed to educate decision-makers on how social hosting contributes to underage drinking.
FCC’s reach extends well beyond its own programs. Strong partnerships with local schools, law enforcement, healthcare providers, the Lovelock Paiute Tribe, city and county governments, and local businesses allow the coalition to maximize resources and create a unified front for prevention and wellness across the region. FCC has also distributed life-saving naloxone, expanded prevention programming in schools, and connected residents to recovery support services.
To learn more about Frontier Community Coalition and the Mustang Youth Team or find out how to get involved, please visit their website.
