This project will facilitate the development of the Center for Appalachian Community Prevention to provide support for the enhancement and expansion of youth behavioral health prevention activities across Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region. The Center will serve as a facilitator of support for and promoter of collaboration across local prevention coalitions, schools, governments, and organizations focusing on prevention activities. This project will 1) enable the development of a strategic operational plan for the center built on community assessment, audits of local programs, and evaluation of a number of pilot strategies in specific locations, 2) expand and enhance youth-led prevention programs through training for youth leaders and engagement with schools not currently offering such programs, 3) provide prevention program training to educators, practitioners, and community members, and 4) evaluate the efficacy of a number of local pilot projects.
The Center for Appalachian Community Prevention will provide services and supports across Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties with deeper focus in eight target counties across the region. These eight counties will serve as sites for pilot projects, initial targets for youth-led prevention supports, and locations for training activities. The Appalachian region exhibits higher poverty rates, less economic opportunity, and lower access to behavioral health services than other regions in the State. Substance abuse, teen depression, and suicide ideation are elevated in the region compared to other regions. These patterns create a unique opportunity for a supportive entity such as the Center to be developed as a result of this project.