Innovations from the Field

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Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010

Engaging Local, State and National Partners for Community Change: The North Carolina Coalition Initiative

Presenter(s): Montez Lane, Wake Forest University Medical Center (NCCI)

Description: This interactive workshop will share an innovative partnership model used in North Carolina that brought together national and state agencies, a research institution and local coalitions to build local coalition capacity to plan and implement environmental strategies targeted at improving population level change. This workshop will provide strategies and lessons learned from implementing this statewide initiative from each partner’s perspective as well as the experience of the local coalitions.

Learning objectives: (1) Demonstrate ways coalitions can effectively be supported using multiple partnerships to build their capacity; (2) To learn how to connect and integrate national and state partners, as well as other potential collaborators in local community mobilization efforts; (3) To hear lessons learned and success stories from coalitions involved in this statewide initiative.

Level: ALL Levels

Presentation: Download (2.0MB)

Preventing Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People

Presenter(s): Anthony Biglan, Oregon Research Institute

Description:Mental health and substance use disorders among children, youth and young adults are major threats to the health and well-being of younger populations which often carryover into adulthood. This workshop will discuss prevention practices that have proven to be effective in reducing mental, emotional and behavioral (MEB)disorders amongst youth.

Learning objectives: (1) Learn about the personal, family, and societal costs associated with MEB issues; (2) Learn about the extensive research that has been done in this area; (3) Identify key practices that can be implemented to reduce the risk of MEB disorders in your respective communities

Level: ALL Levels

SPF on La Frontera: From National to Community

Presenter(s): Richard Cervantes & Christina Lopez-Gutierrez, Behavioral Assessment; Susie Villalobos, U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association; Adrian Reyes, Adrian Information Strategies

Description: The Border SPF panel discussion will present an update on the activities surrounding the SAMHSA initiative with regards to epidemiological border specific data in the area of substance abuse prevention. The workshop will highlight the importance of building a collaborative infrastructure within the U.S.-Mexico border region to face current substance abuse issues. Participants will also learn about the ways in which this project has used culturally specific strategies while infusing the Strategic Prevention Framework along the 24 U.S.-Mexico border counties. Although the examples are specific to the U.S.-Mexico border, prevention providers can take back cultural specific techniques relevant to Latino and Native American communities.

Learning objectives: (1) Define the activities of the SAMHSA’s U.S. Counties along the Mexico Border Initiative; (2) Illustrate the key factors in substance abuse prevention and the recent trends facing the U.S.-Mexico Border region; (3) Explain cultural specific ATOD prevention activities and strategies used in a bi-national context

Level: ALL Levels

Mobilizing Communities to Address the Pro-Illegal Drug Legalization Movement: Pushing Back an Agenda Harmful to Children and Youth

Presenter(s): Judi Strang, San Dieguito Alliance; Dannah Hosford & Barbara Gordon, San Diego County Marijuana Prevention Initiative ~ HARM

Description: Many community members fail to recognize the pro marijuana influences at work in their community until the first headshop opens, or a marijuana dispensary/pot shop pops next to a children’s ballet school, or a ‘pot smoke in’ concert comes to town, or marijuana promoting clothing and merchandise is sold at street fairs and favorite teen stores. San Diego County has adopted a county-wide marijuana prevention initiative called HARM—Health Advocates Rejecting Marijuana whose goal is to intercept these activities that endanger public safety, increase the access to marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia and send harmful messages to youth as well as to advance policies to eliminate them. This presentation: 1) will describe the community condition in San Diego County regarding youth marijuana use, headshop proliferation, the explosion in the number of pot shops and other harmful business practices; 2) will illustrate the role of media in perpetuating the existing problems and its potential usefulness in pushing back; 3) will demonstrate the importance of community assessments of the existing problems; 4) will explain the policy prevention campaigns that will push back at these situations; and 5) will teach community mobilization skills. Further the presentation will demonstrate how these prevention campaigns, assessment tools and community mobilization skills can be adapted to the attendees’ own community coalition’s situation.

Learning objectives: (1) Recognize the a) pro marijuana influences at work in their community; b) the harm from use of marijuana by youth and to communities; and c) the value of community mobilization to push back these influences; (2) Understand how to use assessment tools to identify and quantify a) headshops and pots shops, b) community events/venues that produce and/or sell marijuana paraphernalia and drugwear, and or allow marijuana smoking; c) pro media and other environmental messaging; and d) business practices and policies that suggest marijuana is harmless. Understand how to train community members, including youth, to use assessment tools; (3) Utilize and implement environmental prevention policies/ practices to a) eliminate or reduce the number of headshops and pot shops in their community; b) change business and community practices in neighborhoods; c) change pro media and other environmental messaging; d) and increase messages re: harm associated with marijuana use to youth and to communities.

Level: ALL Levels

Presentation: Download (4.5MB)

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

Injury Prevention in Indian Country

Presenter(s): Shannon White, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Injury Prevention

Description: The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Injury Prevention has one overreaching goal: to prevent motor vehicle crash-related injuries and fatalities in young adults (age 14-29 years) by implementing a public health strategy that employs the “4-E’s”: Education, Enforcement, Engineering (Environmental Modification), and Environment to address causal factors of driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances, excessive speed, and failing to use or properly use occupant restraints (seat belts and child safety seats). The project uses many strategies, including high visibility law enforcement coupled with media campaigns as well as implementation of evidence based strategies. Evaluation is done through regular observational seat belt surveys, collection and tracking of motor vehicle crash reports, and severe injury surveillance system. The strength of this Injury Prevention Program is due to the strong partnerships between Tribal Public Health, Law Enforcement, Indian Health Service, Head Start and Education programs on the Reservation and with local media.

Learning objectives: (1) Understanding basic Injury Prevention; (2) Understanding what has worked on a rural Indian reservation; (3) Providing ideas for interventions for implementation in other communities

Level: Beginner

Addiction Treatment Issues: Youth, Homelessness and Recovery—SAMHSA Models

Presenter(s): Ivette Torres, Randolph Muck, Charlene Le Fauve, SAMSA CSAT

Description: This workshop aims to help participants gain a better insight of best practices in the use of new technologies for adolescent continuing care, the issues of homelessness as they relate to substance use disorder and the opportunities provided by the Reccovey Month observance to promote Coalition work and partnerships. This multidimentional approach to knowledge sharing will provide insights about these topics and facilitate a better understanding and relevance of these areas to the coalition agendas and work. Participants who are experiencing some of these challenges in their communities can comoe to dialogue with presenters and find innovative solutions to these problems.

Learning objectives: (1) Understanding of use of new technology to encourage sobriety and Continuing Care following treatment for adolescents; (2) Identify ways to address homelessness within the rubric of the prevention strategies; (3) Understand how Recovery Month can be a vehicle for community outreach for Coalition work

Level: ALL Levels

Presentation: Download (646KB)

Coalitions Survival in Tough Economic Times

Presenter(s): Judy Cushing & Danny Slifman, Oregon Partnership

Description:The downturn in the U.S. economy has presented serious challenges to many non-profit coalitions and, in some cases, has threatened their very survival. This interactive workshop will provide participants key steps in facing tough situations head on and guidance in making the hard decisions to preserve the best of what they do. Participants will learn that a bad economy should not send their coalition into a tailspin, but it should sharpen their focus and improve their efficiencies. This workshop will offer the Top Ten Checklist for Survival and will teach participants how to apply these techniques to their own coalition. Participants who have experience in managing mid-to-large size coalitions will benefit the most from this session.

Learning objectives: (1) Learn how to focus on your core mission and strengths; Learn how NOT to retreat but how to stay more focused than ever; (2) Learn how to take a hard look at your budget and to develop strategies to deal with both the best and the worst-case scenarios; (3) Learn how to communicate clearly, honestly and regularly with funders and key stakeholders to manage speculation or fear of the future

Level: Intermediate

Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws: Lessons Learned for Maximizing Success

Presenter(s): Sharie Cantelon, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Aidan Moore and Mary Gordon, Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Description: As law enforcement, community coalitions and researchers turn their attention to “what works” in prevention of underage drinking, the need for science-based strategies has never been stronger. Environmental prevention practices have been instrumental in changing underage drinking as an accepted “rite of passage” to a public safety/public health priority for safer and healthier community environments. This workshop is designed to increase the participant’s skill level and understanding of environmental prevention practices (i.e. enforcement of underage drinking laws, policy change, and strategic use of media), the importance of law enforcement and community collaborations, and lessons learned. This workshop will address the strength in collaborative enforcement strategies via highlights of recent success stories that reflect implementation of science-based strategies to effectively address underage drinking.

Level: ALL Levels

Presentation: Download (3.5MB)

Coordination of Care for Medication Assisted Treatment

Presenter(s): Dona Dmitrovic & Jodi Hoffman, The RASE Project

Description: The RASE Project supports patients in medication assisted treatment within the primary care setting. This workshop highlights the successes and challenges of working with this client population and the importance of coordinating services to ensure recovery.

Learning objectives: (1) Increase participants understanding of medication assisted treatment; (2) Learn how office based treatment can be supported to enhance the patients recovery; (3) Understand the importance of coordinating support services for those in medication assisted treatment.

Level: ALL Levels

Presentation: Download (66KB)