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Prevention requires more than balloons, pencils and catchy phrases.
Handing out promotional items with messages telling youth to avoid substance abuse and other unhealthy behaviors is fine. So are guest speakers from time to time. But for long-term health, our communities must actively provide kids the skills they need to avoid substance abuse and other risky behaviors. Communities also need to organize to form new policies, catalyze collaborative initiatives and generate new resources for promoting pro-social behaviors and community wellness. ARP/Phoenix can help your community develop, implement and evaluate comprehensive strategies.
ARP/Phoenix Prevention
ARP/Phoenix Prevention is a wellness-oriented division of Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care which, under the banner of prevention, aims to increase the wellness of individuals, families, organizations and communities by coordinating and funding prevention strategies in nine Western North Carolina counties. In the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant legislation, Congress defined six strategies that prevention programs can use to increase protective factors and reduce the impact of risk factors:
- Information dissemination – e.g. Media campaigns, brochures, videos
- Prevention education – e.g. Classroom and small group sessions, parenting and family management classes
- Alternatives – e.g. Mentoring programs, drug-free social and recreational activities
- Problem identification and referral – e.g. Driving while intoxicated classes
- Community-based processes – e.g. Building interagency coalitions and promoting collaboration
- Environmental approaches – e.g. Community policies that increase barriers for youths who attempt to obtain alcohol and tobacco products
Most of our direct funding to local organizations supports the training for, and on-going costs of running evidenced-based prevention education programs (see http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov) for children and parents. These programs have been approved by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), its subsidiary, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and the State of North Carolina. The programs are proven to:
- Reduce drug, alcohol and tobacco risk
- Improve family relations
- Improve school performance
- Reduce antisocial behavior and violence
- Improve coping skills
- Improve self-worth
The programs focus on substance abuse and violence prevention, but also other risk factors. Our staff time is spread across the other five strategies although we seek other grants and funding sources to supplement the block grant funding and focus on specific projects.
Community Need
ARP/Phoenix Prevention aims to facilitate the development of a "culture of prevention" in communities according to their needs and readiness. If you think your community or agency is interested in implementing one or more of the prevention strategies mentioned above, please contact us at prevention@arp-phoenix.com.
View ARP/Phoenix Prevention Video
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