Partners for Prevention-Kandiyohi and Meeker County Initiative - PACT Partners for Prevention - Kandiyohi and Meeker (PFP-KM) will strengthen community capacity to prevent youth substance use across Kandiyohi and Meeker Counties in rural west-central Minnesota. The initiative will build the capacity of schools, public health agencies, community organizations, healthcare providers, county agencies, and other prevention partners to implement coordinated, evidence-based substance use prevention strategies that strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, build resilience, and promote positive behavioral health outcomes for youth and families. Through sustainable community partnerships, meaningful youth engagement, and data-informed decision-making, PFP-KM will establish a comprehensive regional prevention system that continues beyond the grant period. Serving a combined population of 67,547 residents, PFP-KM will implement the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) to strengthen community prevention infrastructure through comprehensive assessment, capacity building, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Within the first 180 days, the project will complete community needs and readiness assessments to identify local substance use priorities, populations at increased risk for substance use, service gaps, community strengths, and organizational capacity. Assessment findings will guide development of a community-informed Logic Model, Evaluation Plan, and Implementation Plan and inform the selection of evidence-based prevention programs, policies, and practices that address locally identified risk and protective factors. Capacity-building strategies will strengthen school-community partnerships through PACT's Regional School Mental Health Initiative, expansion of the Meeker County Safe Schools model into Kandiyohi County, and collaboration with the PACT 9–25 Committee serving as the Communities That Care Community Board. The project will increase local capacity for youth behavioral health data collection by supporting participation in the Minnesota Student Survey and PACT SHARE Survey, providing technical assistance to participating school districts, and improving the availability of representative local data to guide prevention planning and continuous quality improvement. PFP-KM will also establish local youth prevention groups and a Regional Youth Advisory Council to strengthen youth leadership, support shared decision-making, and ensure meaningful youth participation throughout planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability activities. Project goals are to: (1) establish a comprehensive, data-driven regional prevention system through completion of all required SPF assessment, planning, evaluation, and capacity-building activities; (2) strengthen community prevention capacity by implementing evidence-based prevention strategies that improve youth behavioral health data collection, expand youth leadership opportunities, strengthen school and community partnerships, and reduce identified risk factors while increasing protective factors; and (3) sustain regional prevention infrastructure through shared leadership, coordinated partnerships, and implementation of a Sustainability Plan that supports long-term community ownership of evidence-based substance use prevention efforts.
