Friday, March 21, 2025
3/21/2025
The Rutgers University Center for Prevention Science (RU-CPS) proposes to develop the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) for HHS Region 2 (R2), which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its purpose is to strengthen the substance abuse (SA) prevention workforce through technology transfer activities, including the delivery of multifaceted training and technical assistance (TTA) to improve knowledge and skills in prevention science and evidence-based prevention practices. Through capacity building and collaboration, PTTC-R2 will strive to foster empowerment within the prevention community to employ effective strategies that can change the conditions that contribute to societal consequences of SA and population-level health disparities. RU-CPS will develop the PTTC-R2 using a diverse approach to provide a series of TTA events through virtual, web-based, individualized, and face-to-face modes of delivery. The PTTC-R2 model will include: 1) planning and capacity building activities; 2) TTA activities; and 3) resources. These will include: comprehensive workforce needs assessments and individualized TTA plans; network building; listserv, archives, infographics, newsletters and refereed publications; conference exhibits; webinars; virtual TA meetings and consultations; self-paced learning courses; face-to-face trainings; and individualized TA sessions. PTTC-R2 will provide TTA to a diverse population, distributed across four geographic areas with unique and overlapping prevention needs. The PTTC-R2’s prevention subject area of special expertise focuses on environmental scanning (ES) and geographic information systems (GIS), implemented within the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) steps. ES and GIS are useful tools that can be employed to gather, analyze and display visible information on local conditions. The PTTC-R2 will assist local communities in the utilization of ES and GIS methods to physically assess local landscapes, supplement their observations with archival data, and improve their capacity to become more sensitive to environmental cues evident when considering the context of substance abuse. Other TTA topics will include selecting evidence-based prevention practices, the SPF, epidemiological data-driven interventions, prevention science, and environmental strategies that can be used to increase protective factors or reduce high-risk behaviors of communities that may contribute to SA. PTTC-R2 will provide TTA services to the expansive population of professionals, organizations, and partners in the substance abuse prevention field across R2, including: SAMHSA/CSAP and other federal prevention grantees; state and territory-level prevention managers; public health professionals; community-level prevention practitioners; local /county-level public health agency prevention staff; credentialed prevention practitioners; consumer and family member groups; members of the medical and law enforcement communities; community-based and faith-based organizations; social service providers; school personnel; and other stakeholders. The PTTC-R2 will serve 1,591 unduplicated individuals each year and 7,957 over the lifetime of the grant.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).