The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Positive Adolescent and Childhood Experiences to Prevent Substance Use (PACES) initiative focuses on preventing, delaying, and reducing substance - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (DPH/BSAS) will implement the Positive Adolescent and Childhood Experiences to Prevent Substance Use (PACES) initiative to prevent, delay, and reduce youth substance use by strengthening protective factors before substance use patterns become established. PACES will use SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) framework, and state and local data to strengthen prevention capacity across Massachusetts (Model A) and in selected municipal or regional communities with documented prevention need, readiness, and capacity (Model B). Statewide data show that youth substance use increases substantially from middle school to high school, supporting early, upstream prevention. The geographic area for Model A is statewide. Model A will address variation in prevention infrastructure, staffing, access to youth data, training, technical assistance (TA), and implementation support across Massachusetts communities and prevention organizations. Model B will provide more intensive capacity building and implementation support to approximately six subrecipients selected from a pool of 21 municipalities identified as having high need. The primary population of focus is Massachusetts youth ages 5-14, with emphasis on late childhood and early adolescence, when prevention can strengthen protective factors before substance use risk increases. Parents, caregivers, families, youth-serving adults, prevention providers, municipal partners, community-based organizations, and other youth-serving systems will also benefit from PACES capacity building activities. PACES strategies will include ongoing statewide training and TA, data support, resource sharing, learning community activities, youth advisory input mechanisms, coordination with prevention partners, and site-specific support for Model B subrecipients. Model B sites will use local data, the SPF, and HOPE-informed planning to select and implement evidence-based or evidence-informed prevention strategies that strengthen positive childhood experiences, reduce risk factors, and promote youth well-being. The goal of PACES is to strengthen state and community capacity to prevent, delay, and reduce youth substance use by expanding sustainable, data-informed prevention practices that promote positive childhood experiences and support youth ages 5-14, families, and youth-serving systems. Measurable objectives include completing the SAMHSA-required Needs Assessment and Evaluation Plan by April 30, 2027; establishing the Model A capacity building structure and continuing Model A activities throughout the grant period; selecting approximately six Model B subrecipients; submitting the Implementation Plan by July 31, 2027; supporting Model B implementation from FFY27 Q4 through FFY31; collecting and reporting required performance measures in SPARS; using evaluation findings for continuous quality improvement; and identifying PACES strategies, data practices, training, TA, and implementation supports that can be sustained through BSAS prevention infrastructure. PACES aligns with SAMHSA Strategic Priorities and the Make America Healthy Again agenda by preventing substance misuse among youth, strengthening protective factors, using evidence-informed and outcome-focused practices, supporting fiscal stewardship, and improving coordination across state, municipal, community-based, and youth-serving partners.
