WV's Substance Abuse Prevention System
An Alliance of Government, Community & Prevention Specialists Working to Reduce Substance Abuse Related Issues in WV
Statewide Coordination / Grassroots Efforts Data-Strategies / Statewide Communication & Learning
West Virginia has developed a system to make a sustainable impact on reducing substance abuse and related issues in the Mountain State. The system is essentially an infrastructure for community-based, grassroots problem solving.
STATEWIDE COORDINATION
The WV Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being (The Partnership) is the state’s Governor-appointed substance abuse prevention and intervention planning body. It was officially created by Executive Order and tasked with planning, coordinating, securing resources, and evaluating efforts to tackle substance abuse prevention. The Partnership consists of representatives from all three branches of state government and other statewide and local entities. All Partners have training, experience, and/or special knowledge concerning substance abuse, prevention, intervention and treatment.
GRASSROOTS EFFORTS
Local, prevention-oriented partnerships/coalitions exist in most of WV's counties, and they are the front line of the state's prevention system. These County Prevention Partnerships bring together local stakeholders to collect information, plan and implement local, evidence-based substance abuse prevention activities such as media campaigns, community forums, parenting programs, school-based curriculum, and environmental strategies (such as alcohol server training).
STATEWIDE RESOUCES / LEARNING / COMMUNICATION
The WV Prevention Resource Center (WVPRC) staffs the WV Partnership and provides support for WV’s community prevention efforts through information dissemination, networking and collaboration, facilitated learning and training, and evaluation activities. The WVPRC’s Community Development Specialists (CDS) are trained prevention professionals who live and work locally throughout WV’s 55 counties. They work in teams of four with each team responsible for approximately 12 to 16 counties in four different regions in the state. A CDS’s job is to work collaboratively with grassroots community Organizations and individuals, providing a continuum of technical assistance on topics such as assessing community strengths and challenges, strategic planning, team building, formulating goals and objectives, grant writing, coalition building, and developing and implementing evidence-based programs, practices and policies. CDS also assist communities in using evaluation to improve their efforts. The PRC also employs specialist isn the areas of planning, administration, communication, and information technology.
In addition to the services of the PRC, an ongoing series of semi-monthly Regional Learning Opportunities (RLOs)) are available to prevention professionals and communities. RLOs provide a venue for regional networking/information sharing, peer to peer learning, and training/technical assistance. RLO content has included topics such as: social marketing, evaluation, working with legislators, coalition building, community forums, and workplace wellness.
Share The Vision is West Virginia’s annual statewide substance abuse prevention conference. It brings together people from across the state for two days of learning and networking. Participants traditionally include counselors, educators, social workers, law enforcement officers, and members of community-based groups. Workshops include varied topics such as suicide prevention, violence prevention, parent participation in prevention, prescription drug abuse, tobacco cessation, teen pregnancy prevention, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and peer mediation.
WV has a variety of tools for prevention-related communication. www.PrevNet.org is an online source of information and tools for substance abuse prevention efforts in West Virginia. The features a searchable contact directory and a calendar of prevention-oriented trainings and events. West Virginia also has a statewide (forum-prevention@lists.marshall.edu) and local email listserves for two-way communication regarding prevention initiatives. Additionally, WV has a monthly, 30 minute news and interview style television program. Prevention West Virginia, which is produced by the WV Library Commission and hosted by the WV Prevention Resource Center, highlights prevention-related topics and programs.
WV PREVENTION SYSTEM FUNDING
WV’s prevention system has been predominately funded with prevention set-aside dollars from the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant, which is administered through the WV DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities. The primary recipient of the prevention set-aside in the past decade has been the WV Prevention Resource Center including the Community Development Specialists network. Since 2004, WV has had additional financial resources for prevention from a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) awarded to the Governor’s Office. Most of this funding was sub-granted to communities. Other prevention-related funding streams in WV include Purdue Pharma Asset Forfeiture funds, Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Funds & Juvenile Accountability Grants, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities grants.
There are many other prevention efforts in WV. Although most have a specific focus and funding source, all prevention efforts fall in line with the ultimate goal of improving the overall well-being of WV’s citizens. Other prevention efforts in WV include: adolescent health coordination; adolescent pregnancy prevention, asthma prevention, diabetes prevention, domestic violence prevention, family resource networks, HIV prevention, injury prevention, prevention resource officers, pollution prevention, safe and drug free schools coordination, suicide prevention, tobacco prevention.