Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) continues to strengthen mental health and substance use infrastructure by building community capacity to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of substance use or mental health challenges. FDRHPO has a growing portfolio of free training and community-based initiatives designed to support individuals, organizations, and systems across the North Country.
Grounded in the principle that the mind is part of the body, FDRHPO’s mental, emotional, and behavioral health initiatives focus on integrated care and whole-person wellness. The organization is dedicated to encouraging collaboration across the care continuum, working with healthcare providers, schools, businesses, and community organizations to improve outcomes through education, prevention, and early intervention.
Through its Mental Health and Substance Use programs, FDRHPO offers a wide range of training to community members, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations. These include Adult Mental Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training, and Train-the-Trainer opportunities that empower local leaders to expand training capacity within their own communities.
The importance of this work is evident. Nearly one in five U.S. adults faces a mental illness each year, and suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death nationwide. In 2023, the U.S. reported over 49,000 suicide deaths — the highest number ever recorded. Furthermore, about one in five adolescents have experienced a major depressive episode, underscoring the need for early intervention and prevention.
Our most recent Community Health Survey, along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings, shows that adults across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties experience poorer mental health than New York State overall. Residents report more frequently on poor mental health days and higher levels of emotional distress, and suicide rates in the region exceed state averages. At the same time, all three counties face a shortage of mental health providers, making timely access to care difficult for many individuals and families. This underscores the importance of strengthening the mental health and substance use infrastructure, including increasing access to mental health awareness training, so more community members can recognize warning signs early and help connect people to the support they need.
“These numbers reflect real people, families, and communities,” said Tim Fayette, Behavioral Health Coordinator at FDRHPO. “By equipping local organizations with the tools to recognize warning signs and respond effectively, we can build a stronger, more resilient North Country.”
Along with training initiatives, FDRHPO supports several additional behavioral health efforts, including implementing suicide prevention and harm reduction strategies, facilitating communication and improvements in hospital discharge planning through multi-disciplinary care teams, improvement in workflows and quality metrics as it relates to follow-up and engagement in care, support in expanding regional crisis services, and other initiatives that further strengthen FDRHPO’s commitment to improving mental health and reducing substance use-related harm across the region.
FDRHPO’s collaborative approach emphasizes practical skill-building and community empowerment. Training programs are designed not only for clinicians but also for educators, employers, first responders, and everyday community members who want to make a difference.
To learn more about available mental health and substance use trainings, visit:
www.fdrhpo.org/mhat-1 or www.fdrhpo.org/behavioral-health-substance-use
If you or someone you know is in an immediate crisis: Call 315-782-2327