Saturday, May 4, 2024
5/4/2024
EYFC will reduce high levels of substance misuse and related risk factors by serving 5,600 Alameda County students and their largely Hispanic/Latino communities through partnerships with residents, school districts, the Alameda County community assessment agency (CAPE), and Stanford Medicine’s REACH Lab that employ the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) to address gaps in data and build capacity through training and implementation of culturally responsive, evidence-based curricula. According to the 2021 National Survey (NSDUH), 2.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 (10.5%) currently use marijuana. In Alameda County, 13% of 11th graders and 25% of non-traditional students used marijuana in the past 30 days. Given the rapidly increasing normalization and marketing of cannabis, as well as rising evidence of effects on the developing brain, efforts to prevent its use during adolescence should be a public health priority. As a contracted Primary Prevention Provider (PPv) for Alameda County, California, EYFC will strengthen existing community collaborations and create new partnerships that improve identification of substance abuse priorities and implement evidence-based prevention curricula. Targeting local schools with the highest 30-day AOD Use results and over 50% of the student population meeting criteria for federal free and reduced-price meals (FRPM), EYFC will train a total of 30 experienced community-based, bilingual health worker Promotoras, school administrators, and educators, in the REACH Lab’s Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit (CAPT), a novel, free cannabis use program currently in use in schools, and ready for implementation in community organizations, healthcare settings, and juvenile detention centers. Initially, 700 Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) students and educators will receive training, with annual increases in students and districts served, up to an anticipated total of 5,600 participants over five years. SSPPE goals include reducing cannabis use among middle and high school aged youth; improving mental health awareness and access to resources; and reducing disparities in substance use among Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other youth populations disproportionately impacted by social and health inequities. Our key measurable objectives include development of a multi- sector working group that will produce a SPF-based Strategic Plan to effectively assess substance use and deliver targeted prevention and mental health promotion services; facilitation of at least 30 prevention-focused community events with 25 service provider organizations for at least 10,000 attendees; training of staff and educators; and implementation of the Stanford CAPT. While engaging communities, and cooperating with professional data analysts, curriculum experts, and assessment partners, EYFC will employ qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools in rigorous independent program evaluations in order to add to the global prevention evidence base.
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).
