THE CRESCENTA VALLEY SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION - Project Abstract The La Crescenta Valley Substance Prevention Coalition was formed two years ago, after it became obvious there was an overdose problem related to Fentanyl and Amphetamines in the community. The coalition was created to bridge together community individuals & organizations who share the common endeavor to reduce, and with the hopes to eliminate, substance abuse in the Crescenta Valley Foothills community. We have a particular focus on preventing and reducing overdose deaths from fentanyl and methamphetamines. Our project focuses on building collaborations that will reduce the risks for drug abuse, namely high rates of youth depression and a dearth of coping skills, while increasing the protective factors, namely alternative activities and local sources of support and empowerment. Our first year focuses on mapping out existing gaps and resources and drawing insights from this mapping exercise that will inform the coalition’s first year messaging and our future planning. It will also help us develop an initial resource directory to help people as soon as possible. The need for this resource directory was made obvious from the Principal Director’s own experience as a parent of a child with addiction. Once she discovered the problem, she found it very difficult to track down information in a central place and weigh treatment options. By the time she got a sense of the options, her son Chace had accidentally overdosed due a drug tainted with fentanyl. We don’t want this to happen to other families. As the coalition progresses, our initial mapping efforts will help us to focus on filling real gaps in service provision, by connecting agencies and organizations, so they can work together in a more streamlined way. Most importantly, these mapping exercises will help us compare our current response to the best practices listed in the Overdose Strategy Response manual, including linkage to care programs such as Pre-Arrest Diversion, Drug Courts, Linkage to care upon releases from incarceration, law enforcement-led post overdose outreach, and safe stations. Afterward, we can better assess how to improve linkages to care (warm hand offs and other kinds of community collaboration.). Also from the outset, we plan to engage youth at high levels, not just as advisors, but as decision makers and implementors. We’ve included 9 youth ambassador positions who will take prime responsibility for developing messaging campaigns that reach local youth, with a particular focus on connecting with LGBTQ youth who are shown by statistics to be more vulnerable to mental health and substance abuse issues.
