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Pacific Southwest PTTC

Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies at the University of Nevada, Reno
1664 N Virginia St.
Reno,
NV
89557
HHS Region 9
AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, FM, MP, GU, MH, PW
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The Pacific Southwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) will provide training and technical assistance (TTA) services to the substance misuse prevention field in Region 9, encompassing American Samoa, Arizona, California, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The overall goal is to advance Region 9's substance misuse prevention workforce's ability to identify, select, plan for, implement, and evaluate evidence-based and promising substance misuse prevention interventions to achieve a reduction in substance misuse and harmful consequences. This goal will be accomplished by strengthening regional alliances among culturally diverse prevention professionals and key partners, and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally-relevant TTA services that reflect regional and local needs.

Recent News

From the Pacific Southwest PTTC
Oct. 21, 2024
The Building Our Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) Prevention Fellowship Program (PFP) will focus on increasing the number of Black/African American prevention professionals and building their foundational knowledge and skills to be effective substance misuse primary prevention professionals. Fellows will receive mentorship from host site prevention staff associated with their placement and will be exposed to […]
Jun. 05, 2024
To launch National Prevention Week (May 12-18), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the winners of the FentAlert Challenge! Receiving almost 200 entries, this nationwide challenge sought innovative ideas from U.S. youth aged 14-18 to develop community strategies to educate their peers about fentanyl and fake pills to prevent drug overdose […]
Oct. 18, 2019
The Pacific Southwest PTTC hosted 12 prevention professionals from American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau at the University of Nevada, Reno campus for two training-of-trainers (TOT) events.  Participants completed TOTs in two curricula: 1) the Substance Abuse Prevention […]

Upcoming Events

Hosted by the Pacific Southwest PTTC
Webinar/Virtual Training
  In collaboration with the Region IX and X Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center   Webinar Series Description: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center (SPTAC) Regions IX and X in collaboration with the Pacific Southwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) cordially invite you to join our two-part regional webinar, Strong Evaluation for Substance Misuse Prevention. Join us for an in-depth series to empower substance misuse prevention professionals to develop and implement a practical, results-driven evaluation plan grounded in the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). With a focus on creating an evaluation strategy that not only assesses impact but also supports program sustainability and improvement, this series is perfect for practitioners, program managers, and community coalition leaders. By the end of the webinar series, participants will be able to: Develop an effective evaluation plan in the context of the SPF Use evaluation results to improve prevention implementation Document outcomes to demonstrate success Enhance program sustainability and future planning   Who Should Participate: State, Tribal, Jurisdiction, and Community CSAP-funded grantees including Prevention Block Grant sub-recipients, SPF-PFS grantees and subgrantees, and STOP ACT grantees in HHS Regions IX & X (Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and Washington).   Dates & Times: States and American Samoa  December 17 and 19, 2024 04:00 p.m. – 05:30 p.m.        Arizona and Mountain 03:00 p.m. – 04:30 p.m.        Pacific 01:00 p.m. – 02:30 p.m.        Hawaii 12:00 p.m. – 01:30 p.m.        American Samoa Pacific Jurisdictions December 18 and 20, 2024 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.         Republic of the Marshall Islands 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.         Pohnpei and Kosrae 09:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.       Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, and Yap 08:00 a.m. – 09:30 a.m.       Republic of Palau (view in your time zone)   Presenter: Rodney Wambeam, PhD Rodney Wambeam, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Scientist at the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC) of the University of Wyoming (UW). He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at UW. Dr. Wambeam completed his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska in 1999 and served as policy advisor to Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson. He was Director of the Evaluation Research Department at the Nebraska Council to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Abuse before moving home to Wyoming in 2002. At WYSAC, Dr. Wambeam and his team conduct numerous substance abuse prevention and treatment research projects in many states including Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. He currently leads the Federal Prevention Block Grant, State Opioid Response Grant, and National Opioid Litigation evaluations in Arkansas, as well as leading the Opioid/Fentanyl Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan in Wyoming. He has presented more than 50 keynotes across the country on substance abuse prevention with millennials and on the history of alcohol in America. His book “The Community Needs Assessment Workbook” from Oxford University Press came out in 2015.   Cost: Free!   Registration: Register for Two-Part Regional Webinar: Strong Evaluation for Substance Misuse Prevention   Certificates of Attendance Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance for 1.5 hours for each live webinar session attended.   Questions? Please contact Alyssa O'Hair ([email protected]).
Webinar/Virtual Training
Series Overview: This 8-week series offers a uniquely interactive online introduction to the field of substance misuse prevention. Participants examine the history of substance misuse prevention, key concepts, and foundational research informing the Strategic Prevention Framework, SAMHSA’s five-step, data-driven planning process. Training participants build basic knowledge and skills necessary to identify prevention priorities and develop a plan to implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions. This online consultation series offers structured skill-based learning opportunities, individual reading and learning assignments, group activities, and discussions to enhance learning application and outcomes.   Series Objectives: By the end of the EPLS, participants will be able to: Define prevention Explain the continuum of care List the criteria for research-based risk factors Describe how the Social Development Strategy operationalizes protective factors Describe the five steps of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), including the key tasks for each List three essential keys to sustainability Explain the importance of addressing health disparities in the context of substance misuse prevention planning and implementation Describe how cultural humility is essential in our work in the prevention field   This Course has a Prerequisite: To register for this Enhanced Prevention Learning Series (EPLS), you must first complete the free, self-paced online course Introduction to Substance Abuse Prevention: Understanding the Basics on healtheknowledge.org. Please have your certificate of completion ready to upload, you will be asked for it during the registration process.   Audience: Substance misuse prevention practitioners located in the Pacific Southwest (HHS Region 9) states and jurisdictions of American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau. Prevention practitioners who would like to become a Certified Prevention Specialist or need continuing education hours to meet re-certification requirements. Please note: This training is reserved for prevention professionals working in HHS Region 9. Prevention professionals interested in this course but who work outside of HHS Region 9 are encouraged to contact their region’s PTTC to learn about similar courses available to them.   Dates and Times: States & American Samoa January 7, 14, 21, 28, February 11, 18, 25, March 4, 2025* 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Arizona 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Pacific 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Hawaii 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM American Samoa Pacific Jurisdictions: January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 12, 19, 26, March 5, 2025* 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Republic of the Marshall Islands 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Pohnpei and Kosrae 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, and Yap 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Republic of Palau (view in your time zone) *There will be no session on February 4th or 5th.   Facilitator: Susannah Burt has been working in Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Prevention since 2001.  She has implemented the Strategic Prevention Framework since 2003 and has trained on the model since 2006. Professionally, it has been part of her responsibility to work with the evaluators and review data for state and local communities for assessments. She has worked to develop an evaluation plan for environmental strategies, including policies and campaigns. Ms. Burt is currently working on securing ongoing private and public funding for coalitions in her local area. Ms. Burt currently sits on her local Communities that Care coalition in Utah. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Weber State University and works for Weber Human Services. Participant Commitments: If your experience with Zoom is limited or you want to review key features of Zoom, please view the 20-minute Introduction to Zoom video prior to the first session on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 on how to use and maximize the platform Participate in 8 sessions of training, for 1.5 hours on scheduled series days/times Complete up to ONE hour of independent learning activities between each session Use a web-camera and have access to appropriate technology to join the online videoconferencing platform (i.e., internet connection, built-in or USB webcam, desktop/laptop computer, built-in/USB/Bluetooth speakers & microphone) Actively engage and be on camera 90% of the time during each session, since this is not a webinar series and active participation is essential to gain/improve skills   Certificates: Participants who complete the entire course will receive a certificate of attendance for 22.5 hours. Partial credit will be considered if a participant completes over 80% of the course and submits completed prep packets to the course facilitator for review for any missed session. Participants will need to confirm with their certification board to determine if these certification hours are accepted towards their specific certification requirements. To help make engagement more comfortable, we limit the number of people who can enroll in EPLS. If you cannot commit to joining the sessions or completing the prep-work packets, please defer this opportunity to others on our waiting list.   Register Here: Prevention Basics EPLS Registration   Cost is Free!   Questions? Please contact Holly Simak ([email protected]) if you have questions related to registration. For any other questions, please contact Clarissa Lam Yuen ([email protected]).

Products & Resources

Developed by the Pacific Southwest PTTC
Multimedia
November 19, 2024   Webinar Description: Discover how integrating Indigenous wisdom with contemporary strategies bolsters substance use disorder prevention. This session highlights how blending traditional and modern practices creates effective community-based prevention models. Experts will unpack the process of merging ancestral knowledge with innovative approaches, aiming to tackle substance use challenges more effectively, enhance community bonds, and promote health.   Webinar Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: Recognize the importance of Indigenous wisdom in shaping effective, contemporary strategies for substance use disorder prevention and health promotion, with an emphasis on opioid challenges. Identify innovative practices integrating traditional Indigenous knowledge with modern prevention approaches, enhancing community engagement and resilience. Design integrated prevention frameworks that honor Indigenous heritage while effectively addressing the spectrum of substance issues through innovation and collaboration.   Webinar Recording and Slides: Weaving Wisdom with Innovation Recording Weaving Wisdom with Innovation Slide Deck   Additional Resource: Weaving Wisdom with Innovation Resources & References Handout   Presenters: Angela Da Re Angela Da Re is a distinguished facilitator and trainer with over 25 years of dedicated service in substance use disorder prevention, focusing on mitigating its harmful impacts on communities, families, and youth. As the CEO of Delta Prevention, Angela excels in devising and applying innovative strategies that significantly boost community health, with her work underlining the importance of community and coalition engagement. Her methodology showcases the strength of collective action, proving how coordinated efforts can lead to meaningful changes and improved community well-being. Serving as a consultant for diverse communities and a national trainer for the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), she has refined her skills in cultivating resilient and proactive coalitions. These coalitions are instrumental in instigating change, encouraging cross-sector collaboration, and bolstering community-led prevention efforts. Angela’s dedication to enhancing the outcomes of substance use disorder prevention through community-driven solutions and proactive educational approaches underscores her commitment to public health. Raquel Ramos Raquel Ramos is a Prevention Specialist for the Whole Child Initiative at the National Indian Education Association, proudly representing her heritage as a member of the Comanche Nation and the great-great-granddaughter of Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanches. With nearly a decade of experience working with tribal communities and native youth in prevention, Mrs. Ramos has significantly contributed to the field. She co-founded and serves on the Steering Committee of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Indigenous People’s Advisory Council (IPAC), showcasing her commitment to community-based prevention efforts. Her dedication to prevention work in native communities has garnered several prestigious accolades, including the 2019 “Preventionist of the Year” award at the Heartland Alcohol Substance Abuse Conference. Raquel’s achievements reflect her profound impact on substance abuse prevention within native communities, underlining her commitment to improving the well-being of Indigenous peoples through innovative and culturally informed approaches.   Questions: Contact Clarissa Lam Yuen at [email protected], if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.
Multimedia
Prioritizing Equity in Prevention: Exploring Health Equity among Rural Populations   September 11, 2024   Learning Session Description: To conclude our Pacific Southwest PTTC's "Prioritizing Equity in Prevention” Learning Series, join us for an engaging learning session focused on our rural and frontier communities. We will delve into the complexities of substance misuse prevention in rural and frontier communities and explore their unique characteristics, emphasizing the intersection of health equity in substance misuse prevention. Participants will examine the status of these areas, considering the people, their living conditions, and geography, to understand what makes rural and frontier areas unique when considering health equity. Actionable steps and resources to address health equity in rural communities will be discussed. This learning session will be formatted as a 45-minute presentation followed by a 45-minute facilitator-led discussion. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a critical conversation on enhancing health equity and preventing substance misuse in rural areas. Together, we can bridge gaps and build healthier, more resilient communities.   Learning Session Objectives: In this learning session, participants will be able to: Examine the status of rural/frontier areas: the people, their conditions, and the geography Identify how equity impacts the health and wellness of community members in rural/frontier areas Describe what makes rural/frontier areas unique when considering equity Identify what actions and resources can address equity in rural/frontier communities   Learning Session Recording and Slides Exploring Health Equity among Rural Populations - Recording Exploring Health Equity among Rural Populations - Slide Deck (PDF)   Additional Resource Logic Model Handout - Exploring Health Equity among Rural Populations   Presenter: Stacy Smith Stacy Smith received a B.A. in social work from Ohio Dominican University and has attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas in pursuit of her master's in social work. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Supervisor. Stacy is the Chief Executive Officer of NyE Communities Coalition, a community coalition that serves multiple rural frontier counties in Nevada. She was the founder of the organization and has been instrumental in developing NyECC into a multi-division nonprofit funded by more than 50 grants. Stacy currently serves on several boards and committees including the Great Basin College Foundation and Great Basin College IAC, Southern Regional Behavioral Health Policy Board, Desert View Hospital, and the Nevada Statewide Coalition Partnership. Her professional interest includes growing social workers and counselors in the rural communities she serves through mentoring, supervision, and internships. Stacy was recognized in 2020 by Nevada Governor Sisolak as the Nevada Hero of the Day; in 2016 as Nevada Human Services Network’s Administrator of the Year, in 2017 she received the Butch Harper Act of Kindness Award, in 2010 she received the Nevada Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Marilynn Morrical Award for Prevention, and in 2014 was acknowledged in the Nevada Women’s Legacy Project. Stacy has been married for a lot of years, has two charming adult children and enjoys hosting backyard parties.   Questions Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this learning session.
Multimedia
Webinar Series Description The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center (SPTAC) Team (HHS Regions IX & X) in collaboration with the Pacific Southwest and Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Centers (PTTC) cordially invite you to join our Regional Webinar Series, Tools for the Trade: Layering the Six CSAP Strategies for Impact. This series is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance your prevention programs. Participation in both webinars is highly recommended but not required. Part 1:  Mastering the Six CSAP Strategies to Address Community Prevention Needs As the saying goes, "If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is easy to treat everything as if it were a nail.” Understanding the purpose and function of CSAP’s six strategies enables prevention practitioners to select the right tool or set of tools to be more effective in their work. This webinar will explore the purpose and function of each of the six CSAP strategies in building a comprehensive prevention plan tailored to specific community needs. Participants will also learn about common misunderstandings of CSAP strategies and gain practical examples for aligning strategies with community needs and reporting requirements.   Post Webinar Materials Mastering the Six CSAP Strategies Part 1 Recording Mastering the Six CSAP Strategies Part 1 Slide Deck   Additional Resources Focus on Prevention Six CSAP Strategies with Examples Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) Website Prevention Research Center's Policy Studies Fact Sheet: Translating Research Into Information for Policy Makers, Public Health Officials, and the Public MayaTech Corporation Website   Presenter Susannah Burt has been working in substance abuse and mental illness prevention since 2001.  She has implemented the Strategic Prevention Framework since 2003 and has trained on the model since 2006. Professionally, it has been part of her responsibility to work with the evaluators and review data for state and local communities for assessments. She has worked to develop an evaluation plan for environmental strategies, including policies and campaigns. Ms. Burt is currently working on securing ongoing private and public funding for coalitions in her local area. Ms. Burt currently sits on her local Communities That Care coalition in Utah. She received her bachelor's degree from Weber State University and works for Weber Human Services.   Certificates of Attendance Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance for 1.5 hours for each session of this 2-part live webinar series. The total possible certificate hours is 3 hours.   Questions? Please email Michelle Frye-Spray at ([email protected]) for any questions.
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