Union County, Arkansas, has resilient leaders and various community resources available to assist residents in removing barriers and improving their quality of life. Although these are very helpful, many adults still struggle with mental health issues, substance use disorder (SUD), alcoholism, substance-related criminal offenses, access to care, and lack of support. SUD treatment and recovery options are available, but they are under-utilized by those in need. Additionally, there is an identified gap and lack of prevention services for adults regarding substance use disorder, alcoholism, and related substance abuse problems. Therefore, the community can only assist these individuals after SUD becomes a problem.
SHARE Foundation will provide community-led prevention services to Union County adults, specifically underserved populations, by developing and implementing the Union County Prevention Plan. The first goal is to establish partnerships at the state level and with various community levels to increase awareness about prevention. The objective will be to increase community collaboration by partnering with the Arkansas SPF-PFS State recipient, South Arkansas Regional Hospital, Newhaven Counseling and Health Services, 100 Families, and other partners within 45 days of the project start date. The second goal is to develop and implement a community-led Union County Prevention Plan to address the Social Determinant of Health, social and community context, by providing comprehensive prevention services to reduce the onset of SUD, substance-related criminal activity, behavioral and mental health problems, and other related problems associated with substance use and abuse. The objective will be to utilize the SPF model to develop and implement the plan by identifying the project's direction of prevention goals, focused efforts, partnership roles, actions, services, gaps, and timelines. Through data tracking and reports, SHARE Foundation will create a baseline for Union County's data on substance use and prevention results in adults. The results will assist the community and partners to build on future goals, outcomes, and strategies.