PG Cares

Program to address problems of addiction, abuse, suicide

With a goal to educate residents about issues such as along with a community abuse, addiction and suicide as well as link them to available board that will be cenresources, Pleasant Grove City has adopted a prevention tral to organizing and program utilized by cities across the nation. performing volunteer

Called Communities that Care, the program utilizes work when PG Cares prevention efforts and science to promote healthy youth begins hosting commudevelopment, improve youth outcomes and reduce problem nity programs and events. behaviors, according to the CTC website. PG Cares has a social media presence on Facebook and

“CTC helps communities prevent problems before they Instagram through which it has been promoting prescription develop. Many see dramatic reductions in levels of youth drugs education and disseminating other information. Free alcohol and tobacco use and crime and violence,” states the suicide prevention training courses that have been offered website. through the city for about a year are now offered through

Tamara Oborn has been hired to act as coordinator of PG Cares and have continued via online Zoom meetings. the Pleasant Grove program, which is called PG Cares, a PG Cares also recently received a $5,600 grant from the Communities that Care Coalition. She said participating cit- state to implement an EveryDay Strong campaign, a United ies are able to customize the CTC program to address their Way program that addresses anxiety and depression in own local challenges. youth. “We get to assess our own needs,” Oborn said. “We get A big part of PG Cares will be partnering with the many statistics for Pleasant Grove specifically and then take those organizations that exist to provide help for people struggling and make goals based on what our kids are struggling with.” with issues such as addiction or suicide and then connect-

While the CTC program itself has been operating for ing residents with the services and help they provide, Oborn decades, Pleasant Grove’s program is new, having been ad- said. opted about three months ago. The onset of the COVID-19 Volunteers are being sought to help with PG Cares efpandemic slowed down organization efforts, but Oborn said forts. Those interested may contact Oborn at toborn@pgcity. a leadership board is being assembled to oversee PG Cares org.