Substance Solutions of Amador Youth Coalition addressing youth alcohol and marijuana use. - The Substance Solutions for Amador Youth Coalition (SSAY) is a diverse group of Amador County leaders committed to addressing youth substance use since December of 2020. SSAY is a non-incorporated coalition using the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) as its Fiscal Agent and targeting its efforts on reducing youth alcohol and marijuana use. SSAY Mission Statement: “Supporting Amador County youth and their families to reduce and prevent youth substance use; Utilizing a whole community approach for changing environments; Implementing local solutions for local conditions towards substance-free childhoods.” SSAY is focusing its efforts on at-risk groups including the LGBTQ youth, foster youth, Hispanic youth, and American Indian youth in middle school and high school. These groups also have the highest levels of health disparities and health inequities. Amador County is a small California county located 45 miles southeast of Sacramento in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Amador’s population is 41,250, as sited in the 2022 Census estimates. Substance misuse and abuse is ever present in Amador County affecting children, individuals, families and the health and well-being of the full community. Community factors that affect local youth substance use include intergenerational violence, specifically involving child abuse and domestic violence, access to health, mental health and substance use service. Poverty, geographic and social isolation, cultural norms, and a lack of protective factors highly contribute, as well. Due to the prevalence of local isolated areas, illegal marijuana is grown extensively in the foothill counties and is easily available. 39% of 11th graders and 31% of 9th graders reported, it was, “very easy”, to obtain alcohol and marijuana. 21% said it was “fairly easy” to obtain according to the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) which is administered locally every year, asking students a variety of questions including substance use questions. SSAY will use the CHKS survey tool results with the DFC module to measure the reduction of use for 7th, 9th and 11th graders. To meet SSAY’s Goal 1 of strengthening our coalition to better work together as a community to prevent and reduce substance use among youth, our objectives include increasing involvement of key members, and development of partnerships; extensive training of members, staff, and partners; and the development of a Youth Coalition. SSAY’s Goal 2 includes reducing substance use among youth and overtime among adults, through objectives including a strong media and social media engagement with training and resources on local services. The plan includes community focus groups to help identify and develop local community-based solutions to youth alcohol and marijuana use such as potential changes in policy, environmental changes, and reduction in access. Objectives include training at-risk youth communities; and partnering with law enforcement and school leadership to bring resources for shoulder tap projects and school-based projects. SSAY’s goals include the formation of a Health Equity Committee to assess feasibility of prioritizing at-risk youth and families for critical health and safety-net services. These objectives meet the short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes of DFC. SSAY is capable and ready to address youth alcohol and marijuana use now.
