Friday, April 19, 2024
4/19/2024
This project is focused on the scale-up of evidence based substance misuse prevention practices targeting young adolescents and their families. It extends prior work on EBP dissemination by continuing to build and coordinate state-level networks for substance misuse prevention and treatment, converting EBP materials for on-line use, and developing additional resources for grandparents raising children due to family substance misuse issues. Project Goals & Objectives: The goals of this project will include: (1) ongoing dissemination and scale-up of evidence based prevention programs and practices; (2) ongoing networking with other substance use prevention and treatment initiatives in Pennsylvania, across the continuum of care; (3) work with Extension and EBP developers to create on-line resources for families in the wake of COVID-19; and (4) development of additional supports for grandparents raising children due to substance abuse problems of the middle generation. Project strategies will include ongoing, high-quality delivery of EBPs for youth and families in targeted communities by Penn State Extension educators; continued engagement of drug take back (DTB) stakeholders and promotion of DTB in communities by PROSPER teams; continued development of the upgraded PROSPER website, which will serve as a clearinghouse for information on effective prevention and implementation science for families, service providers and community members; collaboration with Extension and EBP developers to make materials available to families in an on-line format; the development of 3 online support modules for grandparents raising young adolescents; social networking and ongoing collaboration and coordination with other key, state-level substance misuse stakeholders, including the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol programs (DDAP), the PA National Guard, the DEA, and the University of Pittsburgh. The project evaluation will include tracking of youth substance use patterns using the Pennsylvania Youth Survey, tracking the utilization of DTB events and boxes in communities where this is actively promoted by PROSPER teams, monitoring the implementation quality of programs, and tracking the use, feasibility and desirability of the web-based prevention and intervention resources developed for families and youth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Population to Be Served: This project focuses on primary substance use prevention for youth ages 10-14 and their families. PROSPER teams work in 4 rural & small-town communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. The demographics of these communities are approximately 50% female, 94% Caucasian, 4% African-American, and 1% Latinx. Youth under age 18 make up about 20% of the population and about 15% of the population lives below the poverty line. On-line resources for youth and families will be available statewide through the PROSPER website. We expect to serve about 80 youth and families per year with the family program, about 1,200 youth per year with the school based program, and possibly thousands with the online resources.
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).
