Prevention Solutions@EDC collaborates with prevention practitioners across the country to support their substance misuse prevention efforts. Projects are both large and small and focus on issues ranging from coalition leadership and sustainability planning to the social determinants of health and the intersection of prevention and recovery.
Here are some highlights from the past year!
School-based opioid prevention planning toolkit for Connecticut-schools. Comprising a guidance document, self-assessment tool, and curated list of school-based substance misuse prevention programs, this toolkit positions schools (K-12) to reflect on existing programming and develop a comprehensive approach to Tier 1 prevention.
User-friendly ‘how-to’ guides to support implementation of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s resource Prevention with Purpose: A Strategic Planning Guide for Preventing Drug Misuse Among College Students. Each guide is directed toward a separate group of higher education stakeholders: senior administration, faculty, student affairs, law enforcement, and community colleges.
Evaluation supports for overdose response. Developed a logic model to guide program planning and a variety of data collection tools. Also conducted key informant interviews with community stakeholders to understand the needs and cultures of communities served by the New Bedford (MA)’s First Responders—Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grant.
Virtual strategic planning with New York’s Office of Addiction Services and Support. Provided ongoing consultation to guide the development of a three-year strategic plan for expanding state partnerships, building data infrastructure, and strengthening workforce development efforts.
Recovery-friendly workplaces in Massachusetts. Consulted with Framingham (MA)’s Community Connections Coalition to develop an approach to developing an online Recovery-Friendly Workplace Toolkit and training program, and to identify content delivery options.
National webinar on the connections between prevention and recovery. Partnered with the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center, and Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network to design and deliver a two-part webinar for more than 500 substance misuse prevention and recovery practitioners.
Building data capacity at the local level. Provided ongoing consultation to members of the Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness (DOSA) in Massachusetts on using data to inform their prevention planning efforts and address existing health inequities; also strengthened and streamlined their data tracking and reporting systems.
Webinars on coalition leadership and sustainability planning. Developed a series of webinars for North Dakota on the unique leadership development needs of coalitions, including techniques to foster coalition leadership and address leadership challenges during COVID, and on community-level sustainability planning.
Guidance document for new prevention grantees. Collaborated with the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to develop a guidance document for newly-funded communities with limited experience in substance misuse prevention. The 40-page resource provides grantees with the information, tools, and resources to engage in a comprehensive strategic planning process to prevent youth substance misuse.
Workforce development. Developed and delivered the first all-virtual prevention fundamentals training for practitioners new to the field of prevention and their partners. Forty practitioners attended the 20-hour training.
Impact of COVID-19 policies on alcohol and marijuana use. This 90-minute webinar for more than 200 substance misuse prevention practitioners, policymakers, and community activists outlined steps practitioners can take to monitor and mitigate the impact of loosened restrictions on alcohol and marijuana use and access, and changing norms favorable to use.
Coalition building across the Commonwealth. Provided technical assistance and consultation to six Massachusetts coalitions—the Braintree Community Partnership, Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition, Medfield Cares About Prevention, and Scituate FACTS—on topics ranging from strategic planning, evaluation capacity-building, and survey review and analysis to the development of an orientation manual and training for new coalition members.
Collaborating to address the social determinants of health. Developed a webinar for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports that compared the social determinants for substance misuse and problem gambling, and opportunities for addressing them in a coordinated way.
Preventing youth marijuana use. Collaborated with the New England Technology Transfer Center’s Cannabis Workgroup to develop two online courses to build the capacity of prevention practitioners to address underage cannabis youth, focusing on evidence-informed strategies.
To learn more about these and other Prevention Solutions@EDC services, contact PS@EDC T/TA Specialist Jessica Goldberg at jgoldberg@edc.org.
