Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Project Name: The Fentanyl Education, Support Training, and Awareness (FESTA) Program Supports Hays County, Texas Our proposed FESTA Program aligns with the Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnerships for Success Program as we aim to reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse, broadly opioids, and specifically fentanyl, and its related consequences in Hays County, Texas. We will accomplish this by supporting the development and implementation of substance misuse prevention efforts using a multi-pronged approach: (a) information dissemination, (b) education, (c) alternative events, (d) problem identification and referral, (e) community-based processes, and (f) environmental strategies. Our FESTA Program will improve overall behavioral health outcomes at the universal, selective, and indicated population classifications, with a tailored focus on increasing awareness and education of opioids, particularly fentanyl, and reducing substance misuse throughout Hays County, Texas. Population(s) to be served: Adolescents (sixth through twelfth grade students) and the general adult population in Hays County, Texas. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives: The FESTA Program is guided by five overarching goals which align with the Strategic Prevention Framework: Assessment, Capacity, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. Our five goals are: (1) Assess, collect, and identify the current needs of sixth through twelfth grade students, teachers/staff, and parents/caretakers regarding the topic of substance misuse, as it relates to opioids; (2) Build Community Capacity with our Community Advisory Board (CAB) and youth Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) to develop and implement strategies to prevent the misuse of substances and promote mental health and well-being among adolescents; (3) Plan to create and implement evidence-based educational curriculum/training for three targeted populations (i.e., students, teachers/staff, and parents/caretakers); (4) Implement quarterly and annual tailored community outreach events and educational curriculum/trainings to increase the awareness and knowledge of substance use/misuse and reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse; and (5) Evaluate the educational curriculum, trainings, and outreach activities’ acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness, for quality improvement, via multi-method data collection tools. Strategies/Interventions: We will implement evidence-based, trauma-informed, data-driven activities to support our project goals and objectives: (1) collect a comprehensive, multi-method needs assessment; (2) establish a working Community Advisory Board with four leaders in Hays County; (3) create and implement state-mandated (required by Tucker’s Law) curriculum for sixth through twelfth grade students; (4) create and implement educational training and outreach for teachers/staff and parents/caretakers; (5) create and implement a train the trainer program for teachers/staff for sustainability of the project; (6) provide alternative events for students during Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week; (7) employ a youth Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) for students for problem identification and referral; and (8) collect formative and summative data via surveys and interviews for quality improvement purposes, report findings as required by SAMHSA, and disseminate broadly to the Hays County community. Number of people to be served annual and throughout: We will serve 1,800 adolescents and 100 adults annually, and more than 9,000 adolescents and 500 adults (unduplicated) over the project's lifetime through (a) information dissemination, (b) education, (c) alternative events, (d) problem identification and referral, (e) community-based processes, and (f) environmental strategies.
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).
