Mat-Su Opioid Task Force founder transitions to focus on youth

WASILLA — Mat-Su Opioid Task Force founder Michael Carson is now serving as the chair of the newly established Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force.

Local peer support specialist and longtime Opioid Task Force member James Savage is taking over Carson's role as the new chair of the local group dedicated to combating drug and alcohol addiction through compassion, community collaboration, and education.

“I feel that the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force is in very good hands,” Carson said.

Carson said that he's continuing his involvement with the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force as the co-chair while focusing the majority of his efforts on youth related issues through the Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force.

“I felt the time was right to switch gears to what I refer to as moving upstream," Carson said.

According to Carson, the Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force was formally established during the fall of 2023.

He said it functions very similarly to the Mat-Su Opioid Task with a focus in youth. He said they are working with a multitude of community partners to foster positive changes with an on ongoing dialogue on what steps to take to be the most effective.

He said they strongly encourage local youth to participate in Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force’s monthly meetings and various activities. He said this will help them better understand local youth’s challenges and guide the task force’s overall efforts.

“I think it's vital that we hear from youth. Then we can develop the action plan,” Carson said. “We want youth to be connected to the community and we want the community to be connected to youth.”

Carson said that efforts “turning the tide” on the ever prevalent epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction can go towards overall prevention by finding various ways to help local youth make informed decisions, get connected to positive activities, and avoid substance misuse altogether. Carson said the rise of fentanyl has caused a surge of urgency in raising awareness. He said that a vast majority of pills and illicit drugs purchased on the streets are contaminated with fentanyl, calling it a deadly game of “roulette.”

“It is very, very dangerous for youth to be involved in any kind of recreational drug use. It is very, very scary out there… That's why I think we need to focus on drug education and make it center stage," Carson said. We need to get kids on a different train going in a different direction… We have to do everything we can to support parents in helping their children… We all want our youth to be healthy safe and thriving. I think we can do this.”

The Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force meets during the first Tuesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. Meetings take place at the Mat-Su Health Foundation in downtown building in downtown Wasilla.

For more information about the Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force, email carsons@mtaonline.net.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com