DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES- MOROVIS - The Coalición de Prevención Moroveña (CPM) is a coalition working to foster community partnerships and implement innovative strategies to promote substance prevention and a healthy environment for youth development in the municipality of Morovis, Puerto Rico. With a population of 31,320, Morovis is located in a rural geographic area in the north central side of Puerto Rico. The vast majority of the population identifies as Latino (99%, American Community Survey, or ACS, 2018), and 97% reporting Spanish as their primary language. The population of Morovis consists of 18.2% under the age of 18, and 15% over the age of 65. The median household income is $20,589, about one-third of the amount in United States: $60,293; with 45% of persons living below the poverty level, and 58% of children below the poverty line. In September of 2017, the entire Island of Puerto Rico was impacted by two category four hurricanes within a two-week period, causing massive devastation. Then, on January 7, 2020, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the southern region of PR, with tremors of a magnitude of 4 or more still occurring. These events have affected economically the Island, but mostly the emotional health of the people of PR, creating many challenges, and increasing the need for the Drugs Free Communities project. Our approach to the DFC continuing project lies in the belief that youth should be active participants in understanding their community’s issues, facilitated through the sharing of mutual experiences, and becoming agents of community change. The purpose of the DFC project for the continuing years is to strengthen community collaboration and engagement of youth using innovative strategies to achieve community transformation around public health issues associated with underage alcohol use and perception of risks of abusing prescription drugs. The DFC project will serve youth between the ages of 14-18 from the municipality of Morovis. The goals and objectives of the project are: DFC Goal One: Increase community collaboration Objective 1: By September 2021, increase capacity of Coalition and increase youth active membership by 5%, measured by sign-in-sheets during activities. DFC Goal Two: Reduce youth substance use Objective 1: By September 2021, decrease high school student alcohol use as measured by the percentage of youth reporting past 30-day alcohol use on the Morovis Youth Survey by 3%. Objective 2: By September 2021, increase by 3% the perception of risk for the use of prescription The CPM will utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework to ensure interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral understanding of the underage drinking and prescription drug problem in the target population and leverage new and existing prevention resources to ensure a comprehensive response. The 9-Month Action Plan designed is grounded in SPF and includes a mix of CADCA’s seven strategies for community level change in order to build coalition capacity, youth engagement and create transformation on an environmental level.
