The Healthy Cabarrus Substance Use Coalition, “the coalition,” serves all of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, with targeted efforts towards youth ages 12-18. Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA), the coalition’s fiscal agent, serves as the public health authority and local health department for the county. CHA requests a total of $125,000 in federal funds, in addition to the $125,597 leveraged as in-kind match internally and from community partners. Cabarrus County is considered an economically disadvantaged area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Due to their availability, ease of access, probable use in vapes, less perceived risk, and high perceived use as a mental health coping strategy, the coalition selects tobacco/nicotine and alcohol as the priority substances of focus for DFC Years 6-10. The population of focus will be youth ages 12-18 from across the county, with additional focus on youth 12-13 years old to prevent initiation to use, and youth 16-18 years old to reduce use. Special attention will be paid to ensuring that the strategies are implemented in a culturally-appropriate manner, particularly for youth with high rates of use.
Objectives: In alignment with overall goals of the Drug Free Communities program, the coalition will achieve the following outcomes by the end of the five-year project period:
▪ The coalition operates as a sustainable entity with a defined operations plan, structure, and roles; diversified funding beyond DFC funding; and future activities planned.
▪ Reduced 30-day use of tobacco/nicotine and alcohol in youth ages 12-18
▪ Reduced perception among youth ages 12-18 who report that kids use nicotine/tobacco and alcohol as a coping mechanism
▪ Increased average age of first use of tobacco/nicotine and alcohol in youth ages 12-18
To achieve these outcomes, the coalition has established objectives which will be achieved during Project Year 1:
Objective 1: By 09/30/2023, the coalition will have added additional capacity in data/evaluation and sustainability, as evidenced by project documents.
Objective 2: By 09/30/2023, each of the 12 coalition sector members will have completed the publicity assessment tool and will have led at least one community activity, as evidenced by completed assessment and participation tools.
Objective 3: By 01/30/2023, one coalition sector member will take ownership of at least one operational role of the Program Coordinator, as evidenced by the annual report.
Objective 4: By 09/30/2023, the percent of youth who report kids’ substance use as a coping mechanism will reduce 10% from project baseline, as indicated by the CYSUS.
Objective 5: By 09/30/2023, the percent of youth reporting that they could obtain alcohol by the end of the day will decrease from 100% to 90%, as evidenced by focus group data.
Objective 6: By 09/30/2023, the percent of youth reporting they could obtain nicotine/tobacco by the end of the day will decrease from 100% to 90%, as evidenced by focus group data.
Objective 7: By 09/30/2023, the total number of nicotine vaping related school disciplinary incidents will reduce 5% from the final 2021-2022 school year count, as evidenced by PowerSchool data.
Methods: The mission of the Healthy Cabarrus Substance Use Coalition is to mobilize partners to build a healthier community by developing and implementing prevention and harm reduction strategies to address youth alcohol, tobacco, prescription and other drug use. The coalition will utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework as the overall framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating all Seven Strategies for Community Change. The coalition will continue to ensure fidelity to DFC National Cross-Site Evaluation, including collecting data on core measures, responding to evaluation questions, and using findings to improve the program at both a local and national level.
