Products and Resources Catalog

In this Issue:   The 10 "Do's and Don't's" of Successful Legislative Advocacy Happy New Year! Epi Corner: The Ins and Outs of Advocating for Policy Change What's Happening Around the Region? All New Training Events, Online Training, and a Data Video Series What's New at SAMHSA?

In this Issue:   Advocacy is Not a Spectator Sport Additional Resources: Preparing to Meet Your Legislator Epi Corner: Xylazine: An Emerging Threat What's Happening Around the Region Job Announcements What's New at SAMHSA Wrapping up 2023

Christa Shifflett from Warren County, Virginia where she serves as Executive Director of the Warren Coalition. Over the past four years she and her staff have been developing a layered, intricate approach to developing community resilience.  The foundation of this work is  the ACE’s - Adverse Childhood Experiences.  I met up with Christa at the 2023 CADCA Mid-Year, following her presentation Connection and Resilience vs. Aces and Isolation – The Battle for Healthy Communities. Learn more about the Warren Coalition: www.warrencoalition.org The funder of this project, along with all other products of the Mid-America PTTC is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Although funded by SAMHSA, the content of this recording does not necessarily reflect the views of SAMHSA. SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) improves treatment and services for children, adolescents, and families who have experienced traumatic events. You’ll find a link for this resource in the show notes or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma  Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a tremendous impact on future violence, victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a website dedicated to helping you better understand. You’ll find a link for this resource in the show notes or visit www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces

The funder of this project, along with all other products of the Mid-America PTTC is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Although funded by SAMHSA, the content of this recording does not necessarily reflect the views of SAMHSA. My Guests today are Karie Terhark and Chuck Daugherty. Karie works with the team at Hue Life inspiring and facilitating change guided by the values of inclusion, teamwork, and collaboration. Chuck currently serves as the Executive Director of Act Missouri a training and technical assistance provider and has been advancing in the field of photography for 5 decades. Together they are advancing the art of PhotoVoice in the prevention field. Today we’ll explore this technique and learn about a recent project they completed with teens in rural Kentucky. SAMHSA offers free, downloadable publications and tip sheets, as well as mobile apps for youth, teens, and young adults on topics such as substance misuse, common mental health conditions, and coping with disasters and other traumatic events. You’ll find a link for these resources in the show notes. https://www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week/voices-of-youth/substance-use-prevention-resources-youth-college-students  Interested in learning more about PhotoVoice? There are several research papers, case studies and examples about this art form available on the internet. The Community Toolbox has a great resource complete with examples and a downloadable PowerPoint, and Act Missouri offers a tool kit to help jump start a student photovoice. Links to these resources are in the show notes. If a picture is worth a thousand words, PhotoVoice helps tell the whole story. Learn more today! Email: [email protected]  [email protected] Web Resources: https://photovoice.org/  community toolbox  ACT Missouri Toolkit   Karie Terhark is a Certified ToP Faciliatator who previously worked as the Director for Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (A.S.A.P.). While at A.S.A.P., she facilitated a countywide coalition of volunteers to assess, plan, and implement environmental strategies to change the culture around underage drug and alcohol abuse. Through that process, the coalition has successfully passed ordinances and policies that have created sustainability in their efforts. Karie also worked for 10 years in the Human Resource field along with being a small business owner. Karie’s energy is contagious and she is driven to inspire people to make a change in their lives and communities.   Chuck Daugherty first got involved with community mobilization in the late 90’s. Since then he has worked as a community organizer and mobilizer across the Southwest. In Texas, Chuck trained and supervised three community outreach teams mobilizing to combat the HIV crisis in specific targeted populations. Additionally, he consulted with community coalitions in the Greater Dallas Area organizing to prevent teen substance abuse. While employed as a Prevention Specialist at the Southwest Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) at the University of Oklahoma, he provided community technical assistance, training, consultation, to communities throughout a nine-state region in the Southwest. Most recently Chuck is the Executive Director of Act Missouri, and Co-Director of the Mid-America PTTC that serves the four states in HHS Region7. As a semi-professional photographer he has recently begun combining his passion for prevention with his passion for photography providing technical assistance and training for Community Photovoice Projects across the country. 

Prevention Spotlight: What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention May 17, 2023   Webinar Description Many trainings and resources focus on what research has shown to be effective to prevent substance use. We also know through research what is NOT effective and sometimes harmful in preventing substance use. Yet communities across the nation continue to implement these ineffective and sometimes counterproductive strategies. The focus of this webinar will be on identifying these ineffective approaches and alternative evidence-based strategies to replace these ineffective strategies. We will also spend time discussing strategies prevention professionals can use to address the resistance often expressed by individuals and organizations reluctant to change long-standing, well-liked, but ineffective prevention practices.   Objectives In this webinar, participants will: Identify interventions that have been shown through research to not be effective in preventing substance use. Identify evidence-based interventions that can be used as effective alternatives to the ineffective strategies. Describe strategies to address resistance to discontinuing ineffective prevention strategies.   Webinar Recording and Slides What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention Recording What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention Slide Deck (PDF)   Additional Resources SAMHSA-SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Alcohol Tax Tool Pre-Emption Tool Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity The Community Guide Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health SAMHSA - Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth National Academies of Science and Engineering: Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility STOP Act Report to Congress   Presenters Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH, is the Chair of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance and a Senior Principal at Synergy Enterprises, where she serves as the Project Director for NIAAA’s APIS contract, as well as SAMHSA’s STOP Act contract. Dr. Sparks served as Project Director for CDC’s alcohol advertising monitoring project, for which she directed a team of researchers in conducting analyses of Nielsen data to determine alcohol industry compliance with self-governed rules on advertising alcohol to youth audiences. She has more than 12 years of experience in alcohol policy research, including designing, implementing, and evaluating studies, programs, and policies. Dr. Sparks has led the development of numerous publications on alcohol policy, including the 2022 Implementing Community-Level Policies to Prevent Alcohol Misuse evidence-based resource guide and the 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. She has published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has presented at more than a dozen conferences. She is co-chair of the Alcohol Policy conference series and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference.   Rick Collins is a Cincinnati, OH native who has resided in Hawai‘i since 2003. He specializes in public health policy on alcohol and other drugs. He is the co-founder of the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, and he currently serves as Coalition Director for three community coalitions across Hawai‘i. His experience includes building new community coalitions, community organizing, and building coalition capacity to implement community-level policy strategies that reduce the harms of substance use. Rick currently serves as a board member for the US Alcohol Policy Alliance. He is a Certified Prevention Specialist and holds an MS in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University   Questions Contact Kathy Gardner ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Preventing Underage Drinking and Excessive Drinking among Adults through Alcohol Policy Webinar 3: The How - A Proven and Practical Model To Guide the Development of Local Alcohol Policies   March 15, 2023   Webinar Overview and Objectives This is the third part of a 3-part series focused on alcohol policy. In collaboration with the Southeast PTTC and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, this interactive webinar provides an answer to the question, ‘How do we do alcohol policy at the local level?’ The session will provide an overview of The 10-step Policy Adoption Model utilized by the Southeast PTTC. In this webinar, participants will explore: How to identify coalition strengths and challenges related to policy development and implementation Understand the five internal steps of the Policy Adoption Model necessary to prepare a policy for public discussion, debate and support Learn the five external steps of the policy process with an emphasis on media advocacy, community organizing and post-adoption policy compliance    Learning Session Materials Recording for Webinar 3: The How - A  Proven and Practical Model to Guide the Development of Local Alcohol Policies Slide Deck for Webinar 3: The How - A Proven and Practical Model to Guide the Development of Local Alcohol Policies (PDF)   Additional Resources  Equitable Enforcement to Achieve Health Equity, an introductory guide for policy Makers & Practitioners Data Collection for Alcohol Policy Change, A toolkit for Local Coalitions Implementing Policy to Prevent Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Misuse: A Guidebook   Recordings for Other Sessions Recording for Webinar 1: The Why - Alcohol Policy: A Community Approach to Reduce Community Harms Recording for Webinar 2: The What - Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies to Reduce Community Level Harms   Presenters: Michael Sparks is an Alcohol Policy Specialist and President of Sparks Initiatives. His primary interest is in assisting communities to implement evidence-based environmental strategies to reduce alcohol and other drug problems. Among others, Michael is currently working with Wake Forest University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation and Health Foundation of South Florida on a range of public health issues. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.       Kristin Kidd is Director of the North Carolina Behavioral Health Equity Initiative. This project collaborates with North Carolina agencies and communities to address the structural or root causes of behavioral health inequities in historically underserved neighborhoods and communities of color. Kristin also provides local policy training and technical assistance for the SAMHSA-funded Southeast Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She has developed and delivered both synchronous and asynchronous trainings focused on the policy process across the region and internationally. Prior to joining the Southeast PTTC, Kristin led the Tobacco Control Training and Technical Assistant Team at the Colorado School of Public Health. Her team provided statewide advocacy and policy guidance to local health agencies focused on eliminating tobacco-related disparities. Kristin collaborated with multiple Colorado communities to pass                                               local tobacco control policies such as retailer licensing and expanded smoke-free/vape-free ordinances.   Sara Cooley Broschart leads the newly established Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice. Sara is a public health leader with over a decade of experience in substance use prevention at local, regional and state levels. Contribution to community has been a driving value, and she is thrilled to work with communities nationwide in her new role. Her experience includes advising alcohol and marijuana regulators on policy and best practices, developing innovative methods to engage community voices in policy making activities, building a statewide alcohol policy alliance from the ground up, and establishing a health network in rural Nicaragua. Sara has done extensive graduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Public Health at the University of Michigan and holds a BA in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Virginia.     Snigdha Peddireddy is a Fellow currently supporting the Training and Technical Assistance Center and Alcohol Action Network. She is an early-career alcohol and other drug policy researcher with expertise in policy evaluation and statistical modeling methods. Broadly, Snigdha studies the impacts of structural determinants on inequities in substance use-related harms. She is a current PhD student at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Snigdha also holds an MPH in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University.       Questions? Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Preventing Underage Drinking and Excessive Drinking among Adults through Alcohol Policy Webinar 2: The What - Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies to Reduce Community Level Harms   February 22, 2023   Webinar Overview and Objectives In collaboration with the Southeast PTTC, Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice, and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, interactive webinar #2 details alcohol policy strategies that can be effective in reducing excessive and underage drinking, and their associated community-level harms. This webinar will cover a range of strategies and their levels of effectiveness. In this webinar, participants will explore: How alcohol policy strategies can address excessive and underage drinking at the community level Which alcohol policy strategies are being used in communities across the country How these policy strategies complement the prevention work already happening in local communities   Webinar Materials Recording for Webinar 2: The What - Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies to Reduce Community Level Harms Slide Deck for Webinar 2: The What - Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies to Reduce Community Level Harms (PDF) Local Alcohol Policy Exploration Worksheet   Additional Resources  Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity, Third Edition, Baro, Casswe.., Graham, Huckle, Livingston, Osterberg, Rehm, Room, Rossow, Sornpaisarn   Recordings for Other Sessions Recording for Webinar 1: The Why - Alcohol Policy: A Community Approach to Reduce Community Harms Recording for Webinar 3: The How - A  Proven and Practical Model to Guide the Development of Local Alcohol Policies   Presenters: Michael Sparks is an Alcohol Policy Specialist and President of SparksInitiatives. His primary interest is in assisting communities to implement evidence-based environmental strategies to reduce alcohol and other drug problems. Among others, Michael is currently working with Wake Forest University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation and Health Foundation of South Florida on a range of public health issues. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.       Sara Cooley Broschart leads the newly established Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice. Sara is a public health leader with over a decade of experience in substance use prevention at local, regional and state levels. Contribution to community has been a driving value, and she is thrilled to work with communities nationwide in her new role. Her experience includes advising alcohol and marijuana regulators on policy and best practices, developing innovative methods to engage community voices in policy making activities, building a statewide alcohol policy alliance from the ground up, and establishing a health network in rural Nicaragua. Sara has done extensive graduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Public Health at the University of Michigan and holds a BA in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Virginia.       Snigdha Peddireddy is a Fellow currently supporting the Training and Technical Assistance Center and Alcohol Action Network. She is an early-career alcohol and other drug policy researcher with expertise in policy evaluation and statistical modeling methods. Broadly, Snigdha studies the impacts of structural determinants on inequities in substance use-related harms. She is a current PhD student at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Snigdha also holds an MPH in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University.     Questions? Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Preventing Underage Drinking and Excessive Drinking among Adults through Alcohol Policy Webinar 1: The Why - Alcohol Policy: A Community Approach to Reduce Community Harms   January 18, 2023   Webinar Overview and Objectives In collaboration with the Southeast PTTC, Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice, and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, interactive webinar #1 will detail the benefits of working on evidence-based, population-level strategies to make the largest impact on community-level harms associated with alcohol. Presenters will discuss the science that guides effective strategies and how the science relates to communities working on alcohol-related issues. In this webinar, participants will explore: The data associated with harms from excessive drinking and underage drinking in the US How local conditions affect alcohol-related harms at the community level The power of evidence-based, population-level strategies to address the community harms associated with excessive and underage drinking   Learning Session Materials Recording for Webinar 1: The Why - Alcohol Policy: A Community Approach to Reduce Community Harms Slide Deck for Webinar 1: The Why - Alcohol Policy: A Community Approach to Reduce Community Harms (PDF) Local Alcohol Policy Exploration Worksheet   Additional Resources  Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice CADCA's Community Assessment Primer Alcohol Action Network American Public Health Association, Addressing Alcohol-Related Harms: A Population Level Response CDC's Alcohol and Public Health Website and Alcohol Portal A Tale of Two Zip Codes   Recordings for Other Sessions Recording for Webinar 2: The What - Evidence-Based Alcohol Policies to Reduce Community Level Harms Recording for Webinar 3: The How - A  Proven and Practical Model to Guide the Development of Local Alcohol Policies   Presenters: Michael Sparks is an Alcohol Policy Specialist and President of Sparks Initiatives. His primary interest is in assisting communities to implement evidence-based environmental strategies to reduce alcohol and other drug problems. Among others, Michael is currently working with Wake Forest University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation and Health Foundation of South Florida on a range of public health issues. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.       Sara Cooley Broschart leads the newly established Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice. Sara is a public health leader with over a decade of experience in substance use prevention at local, regional and state levels. Contribution to community has been a driving value, and she is thrilled to work with communities nationwide in her new role. Her experience includes advising alcohol and marijuana regulators on policy and best practices, developing innovative methods to engage community voices in policy making activities, building a statewide alcohol policy alliance from the ground up, and establishing a health network in rural Nicaragua. Sara has done extensive graduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Public Health at the University of Michigan and holds a BA in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Virginia.     Liz Parsons joined the Center as Associate Director this spring. She has worked in the youth and community health field for 20 years, specializing in youth substance use prevention for the last 14 years. She has led local youth substance use prevention initiatives in several communities in Massachusetts and was a leader in the public health response to Massachusetts’ review of alcohol laws. Liz has presented about local and state alcohol policy implementation at local and national forums. She especially enjoys supporting public health professionals in their efforts to increase awareness and knowledge about impactful alcohol policies and connecting alcohol policy research with practitioner efforts in communities. Liz has a master of education from the University of Bristol, UK.        Snigdha Peddireddy is a Fellow currently supporting the Training and Technical Assistance Center and Alcohol Action Network. She is an early-career alcohol and other drug policy researcher with expertise in policy evaluation and statistical modeling methods. Broadly, Snigdha studies the impacts of structural determinants on inequities in substance use-related harms. She is a current PhD student at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Snigdha also holds an MPH in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University.     Izabelle Wensley is the joint Project Coordinator for the Center for Advancing Alcohol Science to Practice and the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance. She is an experienced public health advocate and activist. She started her advocacy career at the age of 13 with Dover Youth to Youth, a non-profit program that specializes in drug and alcohol prevention through youth empowerment. She has conducted trainings in over a dozen states, engaging youth across the country. Her desire to make a difference through advocacy led her to pursue higher education in public health. Izabelle graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 2022 with a B.S. in Public Health where she helped establish the Undergraduate Research Center. Izabelle looks forward to continuing to develop her knowledge and skills in the alcohol prevention field.     Questions? Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Supplemental Resources: Field Trial of Alcohol-Server Training for Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Dresser, J., Starling, R., Woodall, W. G., Stanghetta, P., & May, P. A. (2011). Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 72(3), 490–496. - Download Here   Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in a Southeastern County of the United States: Child Characteristics and Maternal Risk Traits - May, P. A., Hasken, J. M., Stegall, J. M., Mastro, H. A., Kalberg, W. O., Buckley, D., Brooks, M., Hedrick, D. M., Ortega, M. A., Elliott, A. J., Tabachnick, B. G., Abdul-Rahman, O., Adam, M. P., Robinson, L.K., Manning, M. A., Jewett, T., & Hoyme, H. E. (2020). Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 44(4), 939–959. - Download Here   Visit FASDUnited.org below to learn more about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders:     We highlighted National Birth Defects Prevention Month in January. Dr. May has been, and is currently, the principal investigator of clinical and epidemiologic studies funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research the characteristics of the continuum of FASD in the general populations of South Africa, United States, and Italy. He and his colleagues have focused on refining the diagnostic criteria for the FASD continuum, defining maternal risk and protective factors for FASD, and uncovering and quantifying the wide variation of outcomes and phenotypic traits of children who have been exposed to alcohol in the prenatal period. He presented data on studies of first grade children in the United States overall, South Africa, and focus on findings on FASD among children and their mothers in a county in the Southeastern region of the USA. FASD are prevalent today in the United States and are pernicious health disparities that no individual should have to endure.   Learning Objectives: Describe the common characteristics and traits of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).  Identify the maternal risk factors associated with FASD in the Southeastern USA and other regions and countries.  Describe the prevalence of FASD in four regions of the United States including the Southeast.  Understand the range of opportunities for prevention of, intervention upon, and mitigation of the most severe impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure on children.   About the Presenters:   Dr. Philip A. May is a Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Gillings School of Global Public Health where he works from the UNC Nutrition Institute as an epidemiologist. His research over the past 25 years has been primarily on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD): prevalence, child characteristics, maternal risk factors, prevention and intervention. He served as a member of the groundbreaking Institute of Medicine Study Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (1994-1996). In 2018 he received one of the two highest awards from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) when he delivered the Mark Keller Honorary Lecture at NIH. Also, he has been honored with the Henry Rosett Research Award from the FASD Study Group of the Research Society on Alcoholism, an Excellence Award from the National Organization Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and he has twice delivered the Geoffrey Robinson Memorial Keynote Presentation at the International Conference on FASD.   Dr. Julia Hasken is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked for the past 10 years to carry out epidemiological studies on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). She has co-authored over 25 publications focusing on the prevalence, child characteristics, and maternal risk factors of FASD in the United States and South Africa.      

Understanding Risk and Protective Factors for Addiction Part 1: Genetic, Environmental, and Individual Factors Jessica Hulsey, BA January 10, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION In this training, the first of a two-part series, participants will learn about risk and protective factors, including genetic, individual, and environmental domains. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use will lead to addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce an individuals risk for addiction. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand the risk factors associated with developing a substance use disorder (SUD). Understand critical protective factors associated with preventing SUD among adolescents. Identify individual risk factors across genetic, environmental and individual domains. PRESENTERS Jessica Hulsey, BA is the Executive Director of the Addiction Policy Forum, a national nonprofit organization that leads the fight against the deadly consequences of addiction and helps patients, families, and communities affected by the disease. Jessica has more than 25 years of experience in the field of prevention, treatment, and policy solutions to address substance use disorders and has collaborated with our nation’s top scientists to translate the science of addiction into digestible content for patients, families, and other key audiences.  

The Social Determinants of Health and Environmental Strategies (Dec 2022 Series) Part 2: Incorporating Environmental Strategies into Prevention: Expanding Our Reach and Addressing Health Disparities Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip December 8, 2022, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will introduce and discuss environmental strategies and their ability to expand the reach of prevention services. By using environmental strategies, prevention professionals can address the aspects of life around people that influence their likelihood of engaging in substance use. This webinar will discuss how environmental strategies work and their role in a public health approach to prevention that seeks to address the social determinants of health. It will also overview several types of environmental strategies and provide examples for each, as well as the collaborative partners needed to implement a public health approach to prevention. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define environmental strategies and their relationship to the social determinants of health Understand the role of environmental strategies in a public health approach to prevention Identify collaborative partners that can be support the implementation environmental strategies Begin determining what types of environmental strategies may be most appropriate for their communities PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.  

Policy Series Carlton Hall, Dorothy Chaney, Dave Shavel, Kristin Kidd, Stephanie Strutner July 7, July 25, and August, 5 2022, 10:00am-11:30am EST COURSE DESCRIPTION & LEARNING OBJECTIVES Session 1: What is Policy? July 7, 2022 This session lays the foundation to understand policy. Participants will explore the public health approach and understand that effective prevention includes both individual and environmental strategies. At the end of the session, participants will: Understand the public health approach and the importance of comprehensive strategies that include both individual and environmental approaches Discuss the elements of good policy Be able to define “P” and “p” policy Understand how health equity should be at the heart of policy development   Session 2: Policy as a Prevention Strategy July 25, 2022 This session will explore how policy is most effective when linked to local conditions. Participants will examine how to implement both formal and informal policy with a special emphasis on exploring effective policy approaches to reduce substance use in college settings. At the end of the session, participants will: Understand the importance of using data to lay the foundation for policy change Be able identify local conditions Link both formal and informal policy to local conditions Discuss how to look through the equity lens when developing policy   Session 3: Being Ethical with Policy, Advocacy vs. Lobbying August 5, 2022 This session will take a deep dive into the implications of policy, sometimes unintentional, while differentiating between advocacy and lobbying. Participants will also explore how policy affects social determinants of health and how policy can be effectively evaluated. At the end of the session, participants will: Differentiate advocacy from lobbying Recognize unintentional harms associated with policy Examine how the social determinants of health are part of the policy conversation Discuss policy evaluation PRESENTERS Carlton Hall Carlton Hall is the President and CEO of Carlton Hall Consulting LLC (CHC) , a multi-faceted, full-service consulting firm designed to provide customized solutions and enable measurable change for communities, organizations, families and individuals. Carlton Hall has been providing intensive substance abuse prevention focused and community problem solving services to the nation for the last 25 years. His responsibilities, unique set of skills and experience have made him one of the most highly sought after instructors and guides for community problem solving in every state and territory in the nation as well as internationally, with successful achievements in South Africa, Ghana, Bermuda, Kenya and others. Carlton spent twelve years with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) serving in several leadership positions and including most recently, Acting Vice President, Training Operations, and Acting Director for CADCA's National Coalition Institute. In this role, Carlton provided critical leadership supporting the successful design, and delivery of the community outreach component of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s DEA 360 Strategy in priority cities across the country. Carlton is one of the primary architects of CADCA's National Coalition Academy. The Academy, a year-long coalition development program, is designed to increase the effectiveness of communities in drug demand reduction producing population level outcomes. Currently, Carlton and the CHC team provide executive training and technical assistance support to the Southeast PTTC (Region 4). Learn more about Carlton at http://carltonhallconsulting.com/about.html   Dorothy Chaney Dorothy Chaney is the Founder of Wisconsin Community Health Alliance, an organization committed to supporting coalitions, agencies and individuals to improve the health of their communities and the environments in which they live. Dorothy is committed to equity in community health and works with communities both nationally and internationally to address health disparities and support the development of local solutions to complex problems.  For more than 20 years, Dorothy has worked with community-based coalitions to address the impact of substance use on youth and families. Dorothy has also served on many state level work groups and advisory committees in Wisconsin. Chaney also works with communities to implement collective impact approaches to improve community health.   Kristin Kidd, MA Kristin Kidd, MA, serves as the Coordinator of the SAMHSA-funded Southeast Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) at Wake Forest School of Medicine. With a focus on health equity, workforce development and policy change, the Southeast PTTC provides free training and technical assistance to the substance misuse prevention field in the southeast (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, and TN). Kristin is also the Director of the North Carolina Behavioral Health Equity Initiative which partners with 8 grantees working to impact a local health disparity issue. Kristin was formerly the Director of the Tobacco Control Training and Technical Assistant Team at the Colorado School of Public Health. There her team provided state-wide advocacy and policy guidance to local health agencies working to eliminate tobacco disparities. Kristin partnered with multiple Colorado communities to successfully pass local tobacco control policies such as retailer licensing and expanded smoke-free/vape-free protections. In her limited free time, Kristin enjoys mountain biking, trail running and gardening.   Stephanie Strutner, MPH A retired substance use prevention coalition director, Stephanie Strutner, MPH owns and operates an independent consulting firm, Catalyst Evaluation Group, through which she provides support to clients through measuring impact and conducting biostatistical and epidemiological analyses. She also serves as consultant and trainer for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) where she teaches the intensive three-week National Coalition Academy for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She is a trainer and consultant for the Alliance of Better Nonprofits in Knoxville where she helps support local charities to operate using effective business models and evaluate effectiveness to achieve sustainability and serves as the part-time CEO for the Prevention Alliance of Tennessee. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Emory & Henry College, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the University of Tennessee with a focus and field practice in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, a Certificate in Social Enterprise Effectiveness from the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, and is a Level II Certified Prevention Specialist. Previously, Stephanie served as Executive Director for ASAP of Anderson for over a decade, where she secured $6 million in grant funds and left $300,000 in unrestricted raised funds. A veteran in the field of substance use prevention, she has served in leadership roles at the state and national levels for nonprofit organizations as well as for community coalitions and agencies. Stephanie has spoken on a number of occasions before our U.S. Senators on Capitol Hill about the impact drug use has on our communities and has also testified in Nashville before the Tennessee General Assembly on multiple pertinent prevention issues. In 2018, she attended a meeting in the West Wing of the White House with the President of the United States to discuss effective opioid prevention strategies in local communities. In 2020, the efforts and impact of the coalition she led were selected to be showcased as a case study to Congress. Stephanie is also skilled in logic model development, strategic planning, and evaluation. Stephanie has been honored with the Young Professionals of Knoxville Outstanding Young Professional Impact Award for her efforts in improving her community in 2015 and was awarded as CADCA’s Advocate of the Year in 2016. Under her leadership, ASAP of Anderson was honored as CADCA’s National Coalition of the Year in 2015. An avid snow skier, Stephanie also enjoys stand-up paddle boarding, golf, boating, and spending time with her people, Matt and Blair, and their furry creature, Oliver.      

Three-Part Cannabis Webinar Series Prevention Professionals located in HHS Region 8 - Mountain Plains PTTC (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY), are invited to attend this no-cost, three-part training series on cannabis. Hear from experts about lessons learned with regards to cannabis legalization in their states; Gain a better understanding of the changing marketing messages created by the cannabis industry and what to do about it; As well as learn about various strategies to prevent cannabis use among youth.   Part 2: Cannabis: New Conversations for Changing Times June 7, 2022 Presented by Jamie Comstock & Robin Carr, Info Inspired, LLC During this training, preventionists will be called to shift their approach in response to the changing cannabis policy and industry landscape. The times have changed, and so must our conversations in the community. An overview of marketing trends will be provided, which have moved far beyond selling a “high”, to selling a lifestyle, a path to natural health and wellness, and any mood/experience/delivery method of the consumer’s choosing. Further, the importance of staying informed about marketing trends and some strategies for doing so, will be highlighted. Additionally, a framework for selecting messages/materials available for the prevention field will be offered. Preventionists have moved from the need to be content creators, and now must be expert curators. Lastly, an emphasis will be placed on audience analysis and editing, too! The goal is for participants to build confidence and skills for more effective conversations about cannabis. Participants will: Describe the current cannabis landscape and industry marketing trends. Identify prevention strategies for a variety of cannabis regulatory frameworks. Formulate messages that resonate with a range of audiences. Formulate content from available tools and resources for the prevention field.     Webinar Recording & Resources: Recording Presentation Slides Resources  

There Has Always Been Drinking in America: Alcohol, History, Culture, and What it all Means for Prevention   April 14, 2022   Description Americans drink to celebrate and to mourn. We toast a new addition to our family, an engagement, a marriage, a new job, and a life well-lived. We open a bottle to break bread with friends, to watch sports, to pray, and to drown our sorrows. But we also suffer from addiction, violence, motor vehicle crashes, and death, all at the hands of alcohol. This webinar explores America’s cultural relationship to alcohol, from the thirteen colonies and prohibition to today’s music and movies. In prevention, we often focus so intently on our communities and strategies that we fail to step back and look at the much, much bigger picture of the cultural and historical context of what we are trying to accomplish. Using humor and examples from history, movies, music, television, and more, Dr. Rodney Wambeam provides the larger context of what it means to prevent the misuse, abuse, and devastating consequences of a substance that has always been part of the American experience.    Objectives By the end of the webinar: Participants will be able to describe the role alcohol played in early America when alcohol was considered safer than water. Participants will understand past prevention efforts that focused upon a moral approach to prevention and why they "failed." Participants will learn to examine how popular culture (movies, television, music, social media, and more) help to define how Americans use and feel about alcohol.   Presenter Rodney Wambeam, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Scientist at the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center of the University of Wyoming. Dr. Wambeam is Principal Investigator of the State Incentive Grant, Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant, and Partnerships for Success evaluations in multiple states, as well as numerous other state and local level research projects. He is author of “The Community Needs Assessment Workbook” from Oxford University Press and a popular presenter across America. Dr. Wambeam is best known for his plenary presentation titled “Boomers, Xers, and Millennials: How New Research on Generations can inform the Future of Prevention,” which he delivered more than thirty times around the country.            Webinar Recording and Slides Webinar Recording Webinar Slide-Deck   Questions? Contact Clarissa Lam Yuen ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Social Determinants of Health and Environmental Strategies Part 2: Incorporating Environmental Strategies into Prevention: Expanding Our Reach and Addressing Health Disparities Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip December 16, 2021, 2:30-4 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will introduce and discuss environmental strategies and their ability to expand the reach of prevention services. By using environmental strategies, prevention professionals can address the aspects of life around people that influence their likelihood of engaging in substance use. This webinar will discuss how environmental strategies work and their role in a public health approach to prevention that seeks to address the social determinants of health. It will also overview several types of environmental strategies and provide examples for each, as well as the collaborative partners needed to implement a public health approach to prevention. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define environmental strategies and how they relate to the social determinants of health Discuss the role of environmental strategies in a public health approach to prevention Overview the collaborative partners that can be necessary to implement environmental strategies Summarize the categories of environmental strategies and provide examples PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.  

Social Determinants of Health and Environmental Strategies Part 1: Understanding and Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in Prevention Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip December 14, 2021, 2:30-4 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will introduce and discuss the social determinants of health. It will explain which aspects have been found to be significantly linked to substance use, as well as how the social determinants of health are linked to inequity and health disparities. The webinar will provide recommendations on how prevention professionals can begin thinking about ways to address the social determinants of health and how to pursue a public health approach to prevention. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain what the social determinants of health are and how they relate to the socio-ecological model of prevention Discuss the social determinants of health linked to increase risk of substance use Review racial and ethnic inequities in substance use risk and prevention services Overview the public health approach to prevention and recommendations for addressing the social determinants of health PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.  

COURSE DESCRIPTION Preventing Trauma and Its Consequences A Five-Part Webinar Series by the South Southwest PTTC Session 5: Community Trauma and Systemic Intervention Strategies Communities, just like individuals, experience trauma. These events can fracture a community leaving it in a state of flight or freeze or mobilize it into an action phase. This webinar discussed the impact of community traumas such as racism, violence, drug and alcohol tragedies, and socio-political traumas on a community’s stages of readiness to address change. Because participants of this webinar engaged in a dialogue about applying these principles to individual situations and professional practices, the webinar recording is not available. Select the DOWNLOAD button above to download session five PowerPoint and Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience resource.     PRESENTER Sean P. Byrne, MED, MCP, CPS, LPC-S, is the owner/CEO of The Byrne Center, a private counseling practice serving teens and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma issues and an adjunct instructor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Sean is a licensed professional counselor, certified prevention specialist, and EMDR therapist who has been engaged in community and individual change for over 25 years.   As the former Executive Director of PreventionWorkz, a regional drug and alcohol prevention center serving northwest Oklahoma, Sean previously served as Executive Director of the United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, Assistant Director of Youth & Family Services, Coordinator of Training and Development for the University of Oklahoma H.R. Division, and Director of the National Teenline program at the Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse.   Sean has been active in the Enid community since 1998 serving on the Board of Directors for the Booker T. Washington Center, PEGASYS, Cherokee Strip Community Foundation, Child Advocacy Center, and the Metropolitan Human Services Commission.  He is the former Co-Chair for the Partnership for a Drug Free Oklahoma and co-founder and past President of the Oklahoma Prevention Policy Alliance, a legislative advocacy group that helped pass numerous laws surrounding alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.  He currently serves as the Chair for the Garfield County Mental Health Coalition.   Sean has a Masters of Secondary Education with an emphasis in community mobilization, and a Masters of Counseling Psychology from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He is completing a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Oklahoma.   

Environmental Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Substance Use Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip July 21, 2021, 1-2:30 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION Environmental strategies are prevention interventions that address factors related to the context within which individuals make decisions about initiating and continuing substance use. By focusing on communal and societal risk and protective factors, including the social determinants of health, environmental strategies can provide an additional approach for prevention professionals. This webinar will discuss the different types of environmental strategies and provide examples of evidence-based strategies. It will also overview the collaborative partners needed to implement environmental strategies and how to fit environmental strategies into a comprehensive prevention approach. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define environmental strategies and how they differ from behavioral strategies Discuss how environmental strategies fit into a comprehensive approach to prevention Overview the collaborative partners that can be necessary to implement environmental strategies Summarize the categories of environmental strategies and provide examples PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.    

In this Issue:   Reducing Community Trauma, Repairing Communities Additional Resources on Community-Based Trauma Interventions What's Happening Around the Region? The Final Session in the Five-Part Webinar Series on Preventing Trauma and Its Effects, July 22, 1:30 CT Need Sensing: Learning with the Partnerships For Success Grantee 2019 Cohort, July 27, 1:30 CT Partnering With Faith Organizations to Address Substance Misuse, A Super Session August 3, 10:00 CT Your Input is Needed: Training and Technical Assistance Needs Survey Epi Corner: Measuring Community-Level Trauma

Identifying and Responding to Emerging Drug Trends Part 2: How to Determine Priorities Josh Esrick, MPP, and Lauren Pappacena, MSW June 30, 2021, 1-2:30 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will discuss the importance of prevention professionals conducting needs assessments to determine and prioritize the emerging trends specific to their service areas. It will provide an overview of topics such as: identifying potential data sources, overcoming barriers to accessing or using data, collecting original data, and identifying and prioritizing trends. The webinar will also discuss the next steps in responding to emerging trends, and the need to ensure that prevention organizations remain focused on addressing the root causes of substance use. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Review the importance of conducting a needs assessment Describe how to conduct a needs assessment and overcoming assessment challenges Summarize how to prioritize emerging trends Overview the steps to addressing identified emerging trends PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Lauren Pappacena, MSW is a Research Associate with Carnevale Associates. Lauren has a background in criminal justice and juvenile justice research specifically as it relates to evidence-based programs and practices spanning criminal justice topics, including corrections, law enforcement, reentry, and courts. Currently, she assists with training evaluations for NADCP and the PTTC, where she brings her experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis and data visualization. With a strong interest in policy analysis, research translation, data collection, and analytic writing, Ms. Pappacena is published in the Journal of Human Rights and Social Work for her analysis of national early-release laws.  

    The Great Lakes PTTC offers this training for prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This two-part webinar will provide substance misuse prevention practitioners with an overview of environmental strategies. The series will focus on the importance of environmental strategies and how they differ from individual-focused prevention programs. It will also highlight three categories of environmental strategies: communications, policies, and enforcement.   Part 1 will cover the basics of what environmental strategies are, the benefits and limitations of using them, how they differ from individual-focused strategies, and the communication category of environmental strategies. Click here to view Introduction to Environmental Strategies Part 1   Part 2 will focus on the policy and enforcement categories of environmental strategies, as well as the resource available to guide the selection and implementation of environmental strategies.   Learning Objectives Define environmental strategies for substance misuse prevention Distinguish between environmental strategies and individual-focused strategies Identify the benefits and limitations of using environmental strategies Describe four types of communication strategies   Speaker: Kris Gabrielsen has worked in the substance abuse prevention field since 1991. She was the Associate Director of the Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), co-authored the first Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training curriculum, and co-authored the textbook, Substance Abuse Prevention: The Intersection of Science and Practice. She works with states and communities across the nation to bridge the gap between research and practice, assisting prevention professionals in maximizing their effectiveness. Recent work includes development, piloting, and implementation of two Enhanced Prevention Learning Series (EPLS) through the Northwest PTTC and the Pacific Southwest PTTC. The  EPLS structure includes cultivating Learning Communities among the participants.    

    The Great Lakes PTTC offers this training for prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This two-part webinar will provide substance misuse prevention practitioners with an overview of environmental strategies. The series will focus on the importance of environmental strategies and how they differ from individual-focused prevention programs. It will also highlight three categories of environmental strategies: communications, policies, and enforcement.   Part 1 will cover the basics of what environmental strategies are, the benefits and limitations of using them, how they differ from individual-focused strategies, and the communication category of environmental strategies.   Part 2 will focus on the policy and enforcement categories of environmental strategies, as well as the resource available to guide the selection and implementation of environmental strategies. Click here to view Introduction to Environmental Strategies Part 2   Learning Objectives Define environmental strategies for substance misuse prevention Distinguish between environmental strategies and individual-focused strategies Identify the benefits and limitations of using environmental strategies Describe four types of communication strategies   Speaker: Kris Gabrielsen has worked in the substance abuse prevention field since 1991. She was the Associate Director of the Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), co-authored the first Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training curriculum, and co-authored the textbook, Substance Abuse Prevention: The Intersection of Science and Practice. She works with states and communities across the nation to bridge the gap between research and practice, assisting prevention professionals in maximizing their effectiveness. Recent work includes development, piloting, and implementation of two Enhanced Prevention Learning Series (EPLS) through the Northwest PTTC and the Pacific Southwest PTTC. The  EPLS structure includes cultivating Learning Communities among the participants.    

A team of researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine, where the Southeast PTTC is housed, recently published research showing how one state planned and implemented a shift to a much greater focus on environmental strategies in the statewide substance misuse prevention system. This research will be of special interest to those involved in substance misuse prevention at the state level.

  Resource Summary: The Northeast & Caribbean PTTC developed this User Guide for substance misuse prevention professionals working in agencies and coalitions as a set of practical tools to support the implementation of three foundational environmental prevention strategies—policy, enforcement, and media. Working together, these strategies have been shown to be effective in reducing substance misuse by changing the conditions of a community—that it, by creating an environment that makes it easier for individuals to make healthy lifestyle choices. Because effective implementation begins with planning, this resource contains a collection of worksheets, brainstorming questions, and checklists practitioners can use to guide their planning efforts.   Click here to download resource