Products and Resources Catalog

Learn how the stigma of substance misuse disorders impedes prevention efforts: National Institutes of Health, Annals of Internal Medicine: Collision of the COVID-19 and Addiction Epidemics   The New England Journal of Medicine: Stigma and the Toll of Addiction   The New England Journal of Medicine: Stigma Reduction to Combat the Addiction Crisis — Developing an Evidence Base   National Center for Health Statistics: Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2018

  Supplemental webinar resources: Webinar presentation MEE Productions Newsletter: Engaging and Mobilizing the Grassroots Community - How to Work with CBOs MEE Productions Newsletter: Tackling America’s Opioid Epidemic from the Ground Up MEE Productions Newsletter: Effectively Engaging Men and Fathers to Support the Health and Wellness of Their Families MEE Productions Newsletter: Community Engagement 101 Infographic: The Win-Win of Community Engagement Infographic: Framing of Opioid Misuse   Presented by: Ivan J. Juzang, MBA, Founder and President of MEE Productions Inc. Description: Many agencies and organizations are struggling to engage members of affected communities with opioid prevention, recovery and treatment messaging, due to stigma related to addiction, ineffective outreach and engagement strategies, low levels of trust in government institutions and other challenges. During this webinar, MEE will share how Coalitions or Collaborations in any size community can enhance their outreach, engagement and prevention efforts, with a focus on hard-to-reach audiences. These strategies and tactics will help them grow their presence in both digital (online) and grassroots (off-line) spheres to educate communities and to mobilize partners and stakeholders, increasing both impact and effectiveness of their opioid prevention and reduction efforts. Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will understand MEE's Adaptation of the SPF Model (By-and-For Processes) to engage communities from oral-based cultures 2. Participants will understand why a mix of strategies results in the Most Effective Community Engagement Efforts 3. Participants will learn How to Use Community-Engagement Tactics in their Substance Misuse Prevention Work to Counter a Lack of Trust About Ivan J. Juzang, MBA Ivan Juzang, MBA, Founder and President of MEE Productions Inc., is a leading expert in health communications and social marketing. He has over 25 years of first-hand experience working on health disparities and public health issues affecting low income, underserved and devalued communities across America. Mr. Juzang’s work focuses on how service providers, community-based organizations and the public health community can present trauma-informed and culturally-relevant health information in such a way that lifestyle changes are sustainable in the context of an economically-challenged and stressed-out life. MEE specializes in community-centered approaches that acknowledge the social determinants of health, honor personal assets and resiliency, infuse protective factors and embrace trauma-informed strategies. MEE has been engaged in substance abuse prevention work since 1991 in low-income urban communities across the country. Its specific opioid misuse work has been conducted in urban, suburban and rural communities over the last five years, in places that include Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans, with Prevention Coalitions across Ohio and statewide agencies in Louisiana. Mr. Juzang was a member of the Advisory Committee on Public Issues for The Ad Council and a current board member of Power to Decide (formerly the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy). From 2003-2009, Mr. Juzang was a member of The Office of National Drug Control and Policy's Behavior Change Expert Panel. Mr. Juzang received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, and his MBA from The Wharton School of Business.  

The Great Lakes Wave podcast channel is available on all of the top podcasting platforms, including Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Breaker. New episodes and podcast series are added regularly!  

Download the presentation Presented by: Cerise Hunt, Ph.D., M.S.W Description: As health disparities continue to persist throughout our community, the prevention field has an important role in the advancement of health equity. The session will help leaders identify practical strategies to act individually and collectively to address significant challenges and barriers for the achievement of optimal health and wellness. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe health disparities, health equity and social determinants of health. 2. Identify factors in the social environment that can contribute to or impede the health of individuals and communities. 3. Understand how health equity impacts prevention work.    About Cerise Hunt, Ph.D., M.S.W Cerise Hunt, PhD, MSW is the Director for the Center for Public Health Practice, Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at Colorado School of Public Health, and Past-President of the Colorado Public Health Association. She is responsible for the formation of community linkages that guide public health practice, provision of continuing education and workforce development opportunities in public health, and engagement in public health practice research. Cerise was instrumental in the formation of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative. She is also a founding member of the Healthy Babies Strong Families Healthy Start Community Action Network, which is a multi-sector collective impact initiative committed to the reduction of the African American/Black infant mortality rate and the promotion of positive birth outcomes. Prior to her employment with the Colorado School of Public Health, Cerise was the Health Disparities Specialist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Office of Health Disparities. There, she was charged with developing and implementing state-wide strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. Dr. Hunt’s research explores topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion and organizational change; racial and ethnic health disparities; and community outreach and mobilization among diverse populations.

Adapting Prevention Interventions to Better Serve Vulnerable Populations Josh Esrick, MPP, and Lauren Pappacena, MSW March 31, 2020, 1-2 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar, developed by the Central East PTTC, will discuss adapting prevention interventions to better serve minority populations in our communities. By adapting evidence-based interventions, preventionists can implement prevention programs that are a better fit for the specific needs of different populations. This webinar will discuss the importance of assessing the conceptual and practical fit of interventions for minority populations and how adaptation can improve an intervention’s fit. The webinar will walk through the evidence base for why adaptation is important for improving outcomes among diverse populations. It will also discuss evidence-based processes for conducting adaptations in a culturally competent manner that involves active participation and feedback from minority population members. The webinar will provide examples of successful adaptations from research literature. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Review the importance of adapting prevention interventions Discuss how to assess the relevance of an intervention to a population Describe the evidence base for adapting prevention interventions to improve outcomes among minority populations Examine evidence-based processes for adapting interventions Provide examples of successful adaptations of prevention interventions 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.               

On February 19th, Dr. Parissa Ballard, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, presented what I thought was a fascinating webinar,  sponsored by our Region IV Prevention Technology Transfer Center.  Her topic:  The Benefits of Engaging Youth in Communities: Insights and Evidence from Developmental Science.  One of the things I noted in my brief introductory remarks to the webinar was that while youth engagement is a mainstay of current prevention efforts, the argument for it usually revolves around the value of this approach for a local coalition’s efforts to achieve a goal, such as passage of a local ordinance (e.g., a social host ordinance), or getting the word out about an important prevention practice (e.g., locking up medications in the home).  Many of us know from experience that youth can garner attention and have a significant voice in these kinds of efforts—such as when a well-organized group of youth come to a city or county council meeting to voice their support for passage of a public health ordinance.  Dr. Ballard presented this argument, but she also discussed why and how youth engagement is associated with benefits for the youth themselves.  For example, Dr. Ballard and her colleagues found in their research that volunteering as a youth is associated with healthier behaviors and mental health as youth age into young adulthood (Ballard, Hoyt, & Pachucki, 2019). For me, one of the most important takeaways from Dr. Ballard’s webinar was that when it comes to youth engagement, one size does not fit all!  The potential benefits for youth, and for coalitions, are likely to be different for very young adolescents (ages 10 to  14) than they are for middle adolescents (ages 15 to 19) and young adults (ages 20 to 24) (see Slides 20-32 of the webinar, (Suleiman, Ballard, Hoyt, & Ozer, 2019).   Click HERE to watch the webinar.   References Ballard, P., Hoyt, L., & Pachucki, M. (2019). Impacts of adolescent and youth adult civic engagement on health and socioeconomic status in adulthood. Child Development, 90(4) 1138-1154. Suleiman, A., Ballard, P., Hoyt, L., & Ozer, E. (2019). Applying a developmental lens to youth-led participatory action research: an examination and integration of existing evidence. Youth & Society, 1-28.  

Date  March 25, 2020    Description  Understanding and evaluating past prevention efforts is integral to ensuring the success of future prevention. This webinar explores how to apply insights from past prevention efforts to current and emerging substance use trends. The webinar examines how to use current and emerging substance use trends to locate data sources, identify an approach to preventing misuse, and effectively implement prevention strategies in priority areas.    Key Webinar Features  · Participants will have an opportunity to pose questions, discuss challenges, and connect with other prevention professionals.    Presenters  Diane Litterer - Diane Litterer, MPA, CPS, has been in the field of public health for over 30 years addressing substance misuse and addiction. Diane has worked on local and state level efforts to increase smoke free environments and reduce tobacco use in NJ for over 20 years. NJPN has mobilized advocates including youth leaders and prevention coalitions across the state to educate policy makers on issues that impact the health of our youth and adults. New Jersey was an early adopter of the New Jersey Smokefree Air Act of 2006, which now includes e-cigarettes and was the 3rd state to pass Tobacco 21 in 2017 and most recently, was the first in the country to have all parks and beaches be smoke free in 2018. The Tobacco Free for a Healthy NJ Initiatives is now New Jersey’s comprehensive tobacco control program which is led by NJPN on behalf of the NJ Department of Health. This project includes a youth engagement project, tobacco free college project and worksite project and continues the work for tobacco free multi-unit housing and point of sale initiatives. Diane works to foster collaboration, maximize resources and create healthier communities across NJ.  Jessica Goldberg - Jess is a training and technical assistance specialist with nearly a decade of supporting prevention efforts at the national, state, regional and local levels, as well as an accomplished designer and deliverer of in-person and virtual trainings that address topics ranging from collaboration across health sectors to identifying and addressing health disparities. Her past experience includes serving as a community health specialist with the Massachusetts state technical assistance system, supporting communities in needs assessment, strategic planning and creating logic models to guide change efforts, and then with the Center for the Application for Prevention Technologies or CAPT, and now with the PTTC, where she works closely with states and community coalitions to adopt and apply data-driven prevention planning processes and implement evidence-based and promising prevention practices  Ivy Jones Turner - For over 20 years, Ivy has provided organizational capacity assistance on health promotion and prevention in substance abuse, suicide, violence, injury, and mental health with nonprofit and community-based organizations, state and faith-based agencies, and school districts. Her capacity building skills include program evaluation, training and technical assistance in program design and implementation, organizational development, partnerships/collaborations, and grant management. Ms. Jones Turner is a Certified Prevention Specialist and holds an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.     Accompanying Materials Session slides Session transcript

Presentation Slides Download Presentation Slides Additional Resources Q&A Followup Translations     This webinar offers an overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences and its impact on population health with the emphasis on the prevention of ACEs in the Hispanic and Latinx communities by fostering resilience and building self-healing communities. Participants will understand: 1) What are ACEs and how toxic stress can affect cognitive development, 2) How ACEs relate with physical/mental health and substance use issues, adversity related to immigration; historical trauma and 3) What resilience means, protective factors, and key variables for preventing ACEs and improving relational and community context for promotion of wellbeing in the Hispanic and Latinx communities. About the Presenter Fabricia Prado, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Fabricia Prado is a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She obtained her master's degree in Social Work from Kennesaw State University. Fabricia also holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Psychology from Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, PUC-GO, Brazil. She has been working with the Latino community in Georgia since her graduate internship program in 2010. Currently, Fabricia has been working with the National Hispanic & Latino PTTC and ATTC under their cultural and linguistic approach to expand their training resources and webinars to include Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. Fabricia has obtained certification as an ACE Interface Master Trainer and through the NHL PTTC and is working to increase community awareness of the prevalence of ACEs and its public health impact utilizing evidence-based approaches for building resiliency in the Hispanic and Latino organizations and communities.

Using Environmental Strategies to Reduce Substance Use Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip February 25, 2020, 1-2 PM EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar, developed by the Central East PTTC, will describe the importance of environmental strategies and how they differ from individual-focused prevention programs. Environmental strategies are prevention interventions that address factors related to the context within which individuals make decisions about initiating and continuing substance use. Researchers have identified numerous risk and protective factors for engaging in substance use, which are often categorized by a socio-ecological model. Environmental strategies primarily seek to address factors found at the community and society levels of the model. The webinar will discuss the different types of environmental strategies and provide examples of evidence-based strategies. It will also walk through examples of collaborative partners needed to implement environmental strategies and the pre-implementation work that preventionists will need to complete. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define environmental strategies and how they differ from individual-focused prevention programs Explain the importance of environmental strategies Walk through examples of environmental strategies Discuss how preventionists can implement environmental strategies 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.               

Presented by: Jennifer Ross, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine Description: This presentation will provide an overview of communication campaigns aimed at youth prevention, including guidance for development and implementation of a communication campaign. Learning Objectives: Understand what a communication campaign is and when it would be an effective strategy to implement Learn the 4 phases of a communication campaign Identify additional resources for supporting communication campaign planning and implementation   About Jennifer Ross, Ph.D. Jennifer Ross, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She is a communication scientist with expertise in persuasion, health communication, and communication theory. Her research uses communication theory to develop and test effective messages to discourage tobacco use, as well as to understand the impact of messaging, including marketing, on perceptions of harm. Dr. Ross’s research focuses on the use of non-cigarette tobacco products among vulnerable populations, including adolescents, young adults, and racial/ethnic minorities.

Presented By: Parissa Ballard, Ph.D., Wake Forest Health Sciences Description: Engaging youth in their communities in meaningful ways can benefit community organizations and youth themselves. This presentation will provide an overview of theories and evidence regarding the benefits of youth community engagement to organizations (for example, strengthening youth-focused prevention programs and policies) and to youth themselves (for example, promoting a sense of empowerment and meaningful contribution). This presentation will also provide developmentally informed information and suggestions for practitioners and organizations to engage youth in a way that promotes youth development. Learning Objectives: Identify the benefits of engaging youth in their communities. Identify the role youth engagement can play in substance misuse prevention (for both organizations and youth themselves). Utilize insights from developmental science to inform when and how you engage young people in your community work.   About Parissa Ballard, Ph.D., Wake Forest Health Sciences Parissa Ballard, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Dr. Ballard is a developmental psychologist with expertise in child and adolescent development and youth civic engagement.Her research focuses on the intersection of civic engagement and health and wellness among adolescents and young adults. 

The Pacific Southwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) is offering a new product line for prevention practitioners and other key stakeholders called Best Science Slide Decks for Prevention Professionals, or slideDecks4U for short. These slide decks are intended to highlight a topic in 10 slides or less. The purpose of this slide deck is to provide prevention practitioners with researched and vetted tools they can feel confident in using in their prevention presentations. All slide decks include presenter notes and full references.   The slide deck presented here highlights and defines the key changes to the Spectrum of Behavioral Health Services (formerly called, and still often referred to as, the "Continuum of Care") published in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2019 report "Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda." USE: These slides can be used as a stand-alone overview of the updated “Spectrum of Behavioral Health Services” or incorporated into other presentations or materials. Citing the Pacific Southwest PTTC as the author of these slides is greatly appreciated, noting that the majority of the content is derived from the various Institute of Medicine/National Research Council/National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reports on this topic and other key publications.    Each slide deck includes presenter notes to guide the speaker on presenting the information contained in the slides. The slide deck also include the references to all of the literature used to source the information presented. NOTE: Please do not alter any of the slides. If you need additional information, please contact the Pacific Southwest PTTC, email [email protected]  or call toll-free: 1-833-9SW-PTTC. 

This resource is the first installment in a series, Key Elements of Effective Coalitions, which has been developed for prevention practitioners and community coalition members by the Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network. The goal of this series is to provide information on key elements that research suggests are critical for coalitions to operate effectively and increase their impact on substance misuse and its consequences for individuals and communities. Collaborating TTCs: SAMSHA’s Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network's Community Coalitions and Collaborations Workgroup created this document. Contributing Network workgroup members represented the Northwest, Central East, Southeast, Northeast & Caribbean, New England and the National American Indian & Alaska Native Prevention Technology Transfer Centers.

The November 2019 Dialogue, features articles on: Addiction: National Rural Health Day | Mental Health: School Mental Health | Prevention: Engaging Primary Care Providers | ORN: Adolescent Prevention | FindTreatment.gov.  Additional sections include upcoming training and webinar events, behavioral health observances, new resources, Region 3 news, and New Resources. The Dialogue is designed to inform behavioral and mental health professionals of news and upcoming events in the Central East states. This electronic newsletter is disseminated on the first Tuesday of each month. You are encouraged to provide us with any feedback or submit articles and topics for discussion in future issues of the newsletter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive the Dialogue, news, and training announcements, sign up here.          

Facts Vs Myths Information Sheet: This information sheet covers 7 common myths or misunderstandings as related to marijuana. These include myths on addiction, impairment, and other health effects. Each of the 7 myths is countered with the current evidence, including citations. The goal is to provide a tool for prevention providers to help respond to and educate the public around these common myths.  Use: Tool for use in prevention messaging and education to help dispel misconceptions that may persist in the community around marijuana.This tool may be also useful as a handout at prevention education events.  

Scope of Prevention 5-Part Webinar Series Part 1 of 5 Universal Community and School-Based Prevention Interventions This webinar will use the experience of one prevention services provider as a model to discuss universal prevention strategies and the differences between school-based and community-based universal prevention programs. Participants will explore how the Strategic Prevention Framework can be used to identify needs within the community and to select evidence-based interventions, as well as how to engage the community to participate. PDF Slides Presenter: Alexa Wrench, CHES

Central East Webinar Series: Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention Approaches Part 3: Selecting and Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention Strategies Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MS July 18, 2019, 1-2 PM EST  |  View series page  |  View all Central East series COURSE DESCRIPTION This is part three of a four-part webinar series hosted by the Central East PTTC that focuses on implementing evidence-based prevention approaches. With the many substance use-related issues currently facing preventionists, and the often-limited prevention resources available, it is vital that stakeholders select and implement evidence-based prevention strategies to address them. This webinar describes and walks through the different kinds of evidence-based strategies, how to determine which strategies will be the best conceptual and practical fit for a community, and how to modify strategies during the implementation process. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Overview the extent of evidence-based prevention strategies that exist Describe the key considerations for selecting a strategy to implement Walkthrough the implementation planning process and how to appropriately modify evidence-based strategies PRESENTER 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 training and technical assistance to numerous organizations at the Federal, state, and local level. 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, MS 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.           

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) takes the same approach as traditional first aid: offer short-term comfort to someone until professional assistance or support from a family member or peer arrives. With MHFA, the focus can be on a range of needs from a developing mental health condition to a full-blown mental health crisis or overdose. This webinar will focus on the Continuum of Care to identify how Preventionists can use MHFA to achieve substance abuse prevention. The substance abuse preventionist can expect to identify how the Mental Health First Aid course interventions address prevention at the Institute of Medicine's three levels of risk; universal, selective, and indicated.

This product is designed for Prevention Specialists working with Native Communities. Topics include: intervention for Native youth's mental health, substance abuse, suicidality, and practice-based evidence.

The National American Indian and Alaska Native Prevention Technology Transfer Center's first newsletter is entitled, "Early Intervention & Secondary Prevention." This publication addresses behavioral and mental health disorders at the primary care level, using the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Model, and examples of successful interventions in Native communities.   To view the newsletter, please click here: 

Connecting Prevention Specialists to Native Communities; Connecting Prevention Specialists to Native Communities