On the 20th anniversary of the Springfield area’s Community Focus Report highlighting the region’s strengths and challenges, leaders reflected on the past two decades while focusing on persistent issues and how to address them in the next 20 years.
During an event Friday morning at Missouri State University’s eFactory, Jonathan Groves, facilitator of the report and chair of Drury University’s Communication Department, presented the newest Community Focus Report.
He noted that the report does not consider absolutely every “blue ribbon” and “red flag” but rather looks for larger themes.
“So many red flags are not just isolated problems limited to a particular category,” Groves said. “They span across the report’s topic areas. Dealing with opioid use is not just a law enforcement issue, it’s a community health issue, it’s an early childhood issue, an education issue.”
What problems persist in Springfield and Greene County?
Mental health: Suicide and substance abuse continue to be among the region’s primary challenges, even as overdose deaths are on the decline. However, Greene County is also outpacing the state with one mental health provider per every 220 people and has added to the resources available in the community, such as the Springfield Police Department’s Mental Health Co-Response Program and the construction of Burrell Behavioral Health’s Youth Behavioral Crisis Center .