Wholistic Stress Control Institute, Inc, a 38-year-old award-winning community-based organization proposing to implement the “Community Ambassadors Partnership for Success (CAPS) II.” The goal and objectives are: To help reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse and its related problems by supporting the development, delivery, and community capacity of substance misuse prevention, mental health promotion services and best practice activities among 50,000 youth and young adults (9 to 20 years old) in Fulton County, GA over a 5-year period.
Community Priority #1: Planning and Boosting Community Capacity and Infrastructure: Objective 1: By the end of January 2023, CAPS II will have convened a substance misuse and mental health coalition to assess and develop an implementation plan that reduce risks and enhance protective factors in the community utilizing SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework Steps (Assessment, Capacity, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation).Objective 2) Each year CAPS II will boost prevention and intervention capacity by identifying, engaging and maintaining 90% of its partnerships to decrease gaps in community services, strengthen prevention resources, implementation of substance misuse prevention and other related problems, mental health services, and strengthen existing community infrastructures to sustain prevention initiatives. Community Priority #2: Increase substance misuse and mental health related knowledge, attitudes, self-image, social and emotional competence: Objective 3) By end of 2027, CAPS II will increase substance related knowledge, attitudes, self-image, social and emotional competence regarding 1) alcohol, 2) marijuana, 3) electronic cigarettes and 4) opioids from pre to posttest as measured by the GPRA by implementing evidenced based substance misuse and mental health curriculum and mixed best practices to 3,000 youth and young adults (300 Year 1 and 675 Year 2-5). Objective 4) By end of 2027, CAPS II will have increased the community infrastructure by training 150 youth and young adults (30 annually) as Community Ambassador Leaders to assist programming, disseminate substance misuse prevention information, and mental health promotion information to peers and community stakeholders. Objective 5: By the end of 2027, CAPS II will have hosted 10 (two per year) Mental Health Promotion Campaigns to increase awareness of serious psychological distress, mental illness, and mental health care for youth and young adults. Objective 6: By end of 2027, CAPS II staff, Ambassadors and coalition members will have conducted twenty (4 annually) substance misuse and mental health promotion free activities, traditional and social media campaigns to reach 50,000 (10,000 a year) youth and young adults targeting healthy alternatives and avoidance of the four misuse prevention priorities including 1) alcohol, 2) marijuana, 3) electronic cigarettes and 4) opioids. Community Priority #3: Increase Community Policy Compliance: Objective 7: By end of 2027, CAPS Coalition will have increased infrastructure to reinforce policy compliance, laws, and Atlanta City Council Initiatives via three (3) new strategies.
Population: The program will reach 50,000 9 – 20-year-old, males and females over the 5-year grant period, who reside in the Fulton County, GA.
Partnerships: The program will collaborate with 1) Council Women Boone, 2) Seven Atlanta Public Schools, 3) Odyssey Family Counseling; 4) Georgia Department of Family and Children Services 5) WestCare GA Mobile Treatment Clinic, 6) Lee Thompson Young Suicide Prevention Foundation; and 7) Nadim Ali, LPC MAC Substance Abuse Counselor.