Socorro county options, prevention and education: strategic prevention framework ? Partnerships for successno

SP-23-004 / ALN: 93.243 - socorro county, new mexico will be the catchment area for the SPF-PFS grant, with an added focus on the new mexico institute of mining and technology (NMT). The socorro county prevention options and education (SCOPE) health council will collaborate with the schools, NMT, and community partners to strengthen county-wide infrastructure. The socorro prevention initiative will implement universal evidence-based initiatives to prevent the onset and progression of substance abuse, specifically alcohol, E-cigarettes, vaping marijuana, and opioids. Nearly the entire student body at NMT will participate in prevention initiatives and school age youth across the socorro and magdalena school districts will receive universal prevention programming. Capacity to address higher risk students and disparities among lgbtq youth, hispanics, native americans, and adults with four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACES) will be built. Program goals include: increase substance abuse prevention infrastructure and capacity to collect and use local data to assess needs and readiness, develop a data-driven strategic plan, and implement evidence-based substance abuse prevention approaches; reduce underage drinking, and E-cigarette use, inclusive of marijuana, among youth and young adults; delay early initiation of alcohol and marijuana use among youth; reduce opioid misuse and overdoses among youth and adults; and reduce behavioral health disparities in socorro county, particularly related to access, use, and outcomes of service. The proposed activities will reach the entire county population of over 16,000 people, 1,000 youth and young adults, and an additional subset of 600 adults who participate in town halls or other events over the course of the five-year grant. Annually, 500 college students, 300 youth, and 100 community members will receive prevention training. Media and messaging will to reach the entire community through radio, outdoor ADS, newspaper and social media reaching approximately 70,000 over the course of the grant. This comprehensive approach will prevent the onset and reduce the progression of substance abuse and its related problems while strengthening prevention capacity and infrastructure, to sustain efforts at the community level.