Humboldt Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Coalition - The purpose of this grant is to support the efforts of Humboldt Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) coalition’s efforts to reduce the amount of youth that report binge drinking, marijuana use, and misuse of prescription medications.
The most recent data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) 2013-2015 statewide biennial survey for comparison shows that Humboldt County has higher rates of youth use than the state and national average for alcohol, marijuana, and prescription medications. County of Humboldt, Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Epidemiology analyzes the electronic death registry system for Humboldt County (CA-EDRS) over a five-year period. Benchmark comparison rates per 100,000 people for drug related deaths are 36.2 in Humboldt vs 11.1 in California and for alcohol related death are 19.5 in Humboldt vs 11.7 in California.
In order to reduce the amount of underage substance use and abuse this program has two primary goals: increase community collaboration in the ASAP coalition and reduce youth substance use. Goal one will be accomplished through outreach and media campaigns that target diverse and underserved communities including Latino, Native American, and LGBTQ; partnering with other community coalitions; providing targeted presentations to policy and decision makers; and developing a sustainability plan for the coalition. Goal two will be addressed through activities that leverage additional funding: youth opioid prevention, academic detailing, and SAPT (Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment) grants. These programs target youth, expanding on comprehensive school health programs through evidence based curriculum, youth activities outside of the classroom, opportunities for parents to get involved, safe storage and disposal of medications, and efforts to enact social host ordinances in multiple jurisdictions. This project will serve 137,904 people, the current population of Humboldt County.
The coalition will solicit continuous input from teachers, parents, and law enforcement through meetings, surveys, and key informant interviews to collaborate on the activities needed to form an effective fit for our community and make the program a success.