CADCA National Coalition Institute

ONDCP, CADCA Focus on Prescription Drug Abuse

Sunday's the big game! And whether you're a football fan or a casual bystander, you'll likely be caught up in Super Bowl hype--or at least Super Bowl advertising hype. Lifestyle writers, bloggers and nightly newscasts already are telling us about the multiplicity of ads that will launch during the the game--including several belonging to a new campaign from the White House Office on National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) focusing on prescription drug abuse.

More young people age 12-17 abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug except marijuana—more than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined, according to an ONDCP a white paper, Prescription for Danger A Report on the Troubling Trend of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse Among the Nation’s Teens.

The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports that more than 2.1 million teens age 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs in 2006. Among 12- and 13-year olds, prescription drugs are their drug of choice. These are most alarming statistics.

CADCA, working with the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, is set to release a new Strategizer on prescription drug abuse at its National Leadership Forum XVIII in Washington, DC, in February. CADCA and its partner the Consumer Healthcare Products Association also will present a workshop on the dangers of over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse by teens.

We hope you're planning to join us at the Forum and that you'll use CADCA's new and existing resources to inform the prevention conversation with your community coalition. That's why we're here.

Environmental Strategies Lead to Population-Level Change

As the prevention field strengthens its ground in science and works to “make the case” that prevention truly is a science and that prevention strategies are making strides toward reducing substance abuse, coalition leaders may be feeling an extra burden. They are expected to document their effectiveness and, in a sense, prove their worth to show funders that they are affecting population-level changes in their communities.

To create population-level changes in your community, it will be necessary to incorporate environmental strategies into your strategic plan. This may seem overwhelming, but coalitions should see this as an opportunity. Environmental work can be very “outside of the box,” as it is unique to each community. You can start by getting a group of coalition members together and taking a drive around your community. Use digital cameras to document what you see. Get youth involved! Keep your eyes open for anything that signals concern. Is there heavy alcohol advertising around gas stations, liquor stores etc.? Where are retailers placing products such as alcohol and cigarettes? Document what you see.

Recently the Associated Press, reported on a good example of this kind of work. Police in Anchorage, Alaska, noticed that homeless camps were littered with empty bottles of mouthwash. The high alcohol content in mouthwash, as compared to beer makes it a cheap alternative for those who can’t otherwise afford to buy alcohol. Because of this, some Anchorage grocery stores have begun selling mouthwash from behind the counter.

Understanding the problems in your community and choosing appropriate and effective strategies involves regular “scanning” of the environment. Many community anti-drug coalitions across the country are doing just that—getting creative to implement successful environmental strategies in their own communities. What kinds of environmental strategies are your coalitions implementing? We invite you to use the comments section below to share your coalition’s story.

This post was written by Andrea de la Flor, CSAP Fellow for CADCA's National Coalition Institute. Her e-mail address is adelaflor@cadca.org.

ONDCP Releases Drug-Free Communities Grant Applications

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) along with its federal partner, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the Fiscal Year 2008 Request for Applications (RFA) for the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. Applicants can apply for up to $125,000 in federal matching funds to strengthen communities and reduce youth drug use through coalition-driven environmental strategies.

ONDCP expects to award approximately 150 new competitive grants totaling nearly $19 million dollars. Interested communities can find the application online at http://ondcp.gov/dfc/files/fy08_rfa.pdf. Additional resources including eligibility criteria are located on the DFC Web site.

ONDCP will conduct a series of Regional Grant Application Workshops. The sessions are scheduled as follows:

• Los Angeles, CA – January 29, 2008
• Chicago, IL – January 31, 2008
• Denver, CO – February 5, 2008
• Denver, CO – February 6, 2008 (for Native American communities)
• Washington, DC – February 15, 2008.

Click here to obtain additional information about the above workshops and to register online. There is no fee to attend the workshops.

New Drug-Free Grantees Receive Training

What a great week to be in Washington, DC! The newest grantees of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFC) were in town for a three-day training and the weatherman cooperated by giving us 70-degree days! The meeting was organized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In his opening remarks, Drug Czar John Walters welcomed and congratulated the more than 250 successful grantees and challenged them to mobilize their communities and bring in multiple partners in their local fight against substance abuse.

The following day, Gen. Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO of CADCA told the assembled group that they should look to CADCA “as the place to go for training, technical assistance and publications.” He also noted that CADCA and others have been successful in securing additional funds for the Drug-Free Communities Program and that next year, the funding level will increase by another $10 million to a total of $90 million.

To get the new grantees started on the right foot, CADCA's Institute developed and delivered a three-day training for new DFC grantees. First-year grantees received the opening sessions of the Institute’s signature National Coalition Academy which is designed to provide coalitions with the core competencies for community problem solving. Grantees at the beginning of their second funding cycle (Year 6 grantees) received intensive training on sustainability. All grantees will receive additional training from the Institute throughout the year.

Coalitions not currently receiving DFC funds should watch the DFC and Institute Web sites for announcement of release of the application and consider attending one of the upcoming applicant workshops.

Increasing Participation in Meetings and Events

“I can’t get members to come to meetings.”
“I can’t get members to participate in planned activities.”

People often ask us what technical assistance topic is asked about most and without a doubt, it centers around coalition membership and its participation. The dilemma of how to get coalition membership not only to come to meetings, but to actively participate in planned activities and initiatives seems to be a challenge for community anti-drug coalitions across the country.

Coalitions typically experience similar situations and often for the same reasons. When was the last time you surveyed your coalition’s membership to learn more about their skills, abilities, talents, interests and local connections? Have you EVER done that? Also, consider what your planned activities are and what interest your membership has in them. If the activities are seen as something in which membership cannot be involved, then why would members extend themselves? If it is not a valuable use of their volunteer time, why show up?

Consider your coalition’s membership in the way a business recruits and retains employees. You must assemble members that complement each other and come to the table with the skills, abilities, talents, interests and connections that make your coalition a viable force in creating population-level change. You cannot recruit just anybody and expect them to fully participate in the coalition’s business. A business attempts to gather individuals with the best skills available and provide them with competitive benefits and salary. Coalitions do not pay salaries to members, but can figure out how the coalition experience benefits its members and then, use that to help with involvement and long-term retention.

If your coalition is experiencing issues with getting member, et. ship actively involved, contact Shannon Weatherly, the CADCA Institute's Technical Assistance Manager, at 800-54-CADCA, ext. 240, and brainstorm where the issues are and how to resolve them.

Happy 2008!

Happy 2008! We at the CADCA Institute hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed holiday season and that you've returned to work (if you were lucky enough to enjoy a holiday vacation) renewed and ready to continue the important work of creating safe, healthy and drug-free communities!

For us, January means final preparations for our signature training event, the CADCA National Leadership Forum which will be held Feb. 11-14 at the Washington, DC, Convention Center. Click here to learn about the close to 100 workshops and plenaries that will be offered at this year's Forum, to help your coalition prepare for the annual Capitol Hill Day or to register.

We look forward to working with your coalition in 2008 and to seeing your leaders and members at the Forum in February and at our various training events throughout the year. Be sure to check out the training schedule on the Institute's Web site, www.coalitioninstitute.org, for up-to-date information.

This post was written by Sue Stine, Senior Manager of Dissemination and Coalition Relations for CADCA's National Coalition Institute. Her e-mail address is sstine@cadca.org.