Wellness Coalition of Rural Linn County 2026 SPF-PFS Project - The Wellness Coalition of Rural Linn County 2026 Strategic Prevention Framework - Partnerships for Success (Wellness Coalition 2026 SPF-PFS) Project will strengthen organizational and community-level prevention capacity to prevent and reduce alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use among youth and young adults ages 18-22 residing in or attending school or college within six rural Linn County communities: Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Springville, Center Point, Alburnett, and Central City, Iowa. Cornell College, located in Mount Vernon, serves as a significant partner and represents an important portion of the project's young adult population. The total estimated service population is 13,395 residents, aligning with Category A eligibility requirements.The project population of focus includes youth and young adults ages 18-22, including high school students, Cornell College students, and young adults transitioning into the workforce or postsecondary education. Assessment findings from the Iowa Youth Survey (IYS), National College Health Assessment (NCHA), Community Assessment, Community Survey, focus groups, key informant interviews, law enforcement reports, environmental scans, and emergency response data identify alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use as priority prevention concerns. Local data indicate elevated risk due to permissive community norms regarding alcohol use, easy access to substances, limited prevention resources, and increasing reports of high-risk substance use behaviors among youth and young adults. The WCRLC SPF-PFS Project will utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework to conduct comprehensive assessment, capacity-building, planning, implementation, and evaluation activities. Key project strategies include implementation of evidence-based prevention programs, youth leadership development, positive social norms and media campaigns, responsible retail initiatives, compliance checks, prevention workforce development, community engagement, and environmental prevention strategies. The project will support youth, schools, Cornell College, community organizations, retailers, law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, and other community partners in strengthening prevention infrastructure and increasing access to prevention services throughout the rural service area. Project goals include Goal 1: Strengthen community-level prevention capacity through collaboration;Goal 2: Decrease alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use/misuse among youth in rural Linn County; Goal 3: Increase parental perception of risk and parental disapproval of underage drinking, nicotine, and cannabis use in rural Linn County by implementing a community-wide media campaign;Goal 4: Increase the capacity of the local school districts and Cornell staff to address high-risk behaviors; Goal 5: Expand retailer evidence-based prevention strategies. Goals and objectives will be increasing protective factors, reducing risk factors, improving perception of harm, increasing community readiness, expanding evidence-based prevention programming, strengthening youth engagement, improving responsible retail practices, and reducing alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use among youth and young adults. Through dedicated staffing, data-driven decision-making, cross-sector collaboration, and continuous quality improvement, the project will strengthen prevention systems, build community resilience, and support long-term reductions in substance use throughout rural Linn County.
