Jackson County Drug Free Communities Project: connecting multi-sector community partners to address and reduce youth substance use; and, over time, reduce substance use among adults - PanCare of Florida, Inc. (PanCare), a federally qualified health center (FQHC), serves residents of Bay, Walton, Liberty, Calhoun, Washington, Holmes, Franklin, Jackson, and Gulf counties in the Florida (FL) panhandle. PanCare is accredited as a Patient Centered Medical Home by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and offers comprehensive primary care, including behavioral health and outpatient substance use disorder treatment services. In 2020, PanCare was awarded Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Planning funds to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with opioid overdoses in the rural service area. In 2021, PanCare rallied community partners to establish the “Panhandle Rural Opioid Partnership” (PROP), a multi-sector consortium representing primary and behavioral health providers, public health officials, regional health planning councils, education, law enforcement, emergency services, and other stakeholders. As PROP evolves to meet the needs in rural FL, focus has shifted to other substance use priorities beyond opiates. PROP has also adopted a mission to strengthen community collaborations to reduce and prevent youth substance use in the targeted rural counties through promotion, coordination, and support of new and existing programs, with a focus on addressing substance use, prevention, and access to treatment. Based on the compelling results of needs assessments, PROP has developed the “Jackson County Drug Free Communities” (JCDFC) project, a comprehensive, multi-sector strategy focused on youth substance use in Jackson County, FL, including nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use. JCDFC’s purpose is to connect multi-sector community partners in Jackson County in order to 1) strengthen cohesive collaboration among community members and organizations to address youth substance use; and 2) reduce substance use among youth, and over time, reduce substance use among adults. Objectives are aligned with the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) logic model and include strategies to increase knowledge through education, increase capacity and skills through training, and increase intergovernmental cooperation and coordination to begin to change conditions. Short-term outcomes include the following: At least 75% of Jackson County residents who participate in PROP events will indicate improved knowledge regarding the patterns of youth substance use and protective factors. PROP will make at least 3 formal recommendations to Jackson County government regarding policy changes to reduce youth substance use. At least 75% of parent participants in the Strengthening Families Program will report improved positive parenting skills. At least 6-10 middle/high school students will participate in a youth coalition where youth will hold key leadership roles and work together to plan and implement prevention activities, with at least 4 meetings held annually. At least 250 middle/high school students will participate in PROP sponsored drug-free events annually. At least 5 law enforcement and 5 health care providers serving Jackson County will receive training in crisis intervention and other topics critical to preventing youth substance use. At least 5 Jackson County businesses with high compliance data for legal, non-youth sales of alcohol, nicotine, and/or Delta 8 or Delta 9 THC (as determined by the Sheriff’s Office) will be recognized through media and other outlets. As efforts begin to take hold, PROP expects to report on decreases in youth substance use as tracked by the indicators of past 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or misusing prescription drugs at least once within the past 30 days.
