Project Grant H79SP083727

DUPAGE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT-STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK PROJECT - THE DUPAGE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT (WHEATON, ILLINOIS) PROPOSES THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK-PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUCCESS (SPF-PFS) PROJECT, WHICH WILL UNIFY DUPAGE COUNTY, ILLINOIS (CATCHMENT AREA) ORGANIZATIONS AND COALITIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH EQUITY BY TARGETING TWO DATA-INFORMED PRIORITY DRUG MISUSE CATEGORIES: MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL MISUSE AMONG A DEFINED COUNTYWIDE POPULATION OF FOCUS. PROJECT STRATEGIES WILL SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS BOTH ONSET (PREVENTIVE) AND PROGRESSION (RECOVERY-ORIENTED) FOCUSED SUBSTANCE MISUSE PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED FOR THESE SUBPOPULATIONS OF FOCUS: (1) YOUTH AGES 11 TO 18 (MIDDLE SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL) ACROSS DUPAGE COUNTY; AND (2) ADULTS OVER AGE 18, ESPECIALLY ADULTS BETWEEN AGES 18 AND 39, AN AGE RANGE PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FATAL OVERDOSES (DUPAGE CORONER'S OFFICE, 2022). ACROSS THE TWO SUBSTANCE MISUSE CATEGORIES FOR BOTH YOUTH AND ADULTS, THERE WILL BE TWO SPECIFIC CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND TRAUMA-INFORMED EMPHASES: (1) STRENGTHENING COALITION-BUILDING CAPACITY AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE REDUCTION IN HIGH-RISK COMMUNITIES BEGINNING WITH A PILOT "COALITION-TO-COALITION" MENTORING PROGRAM IN WEST CHICAGO AND ADDISON AND EXPANDING TO OTHER COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT PERIOD. THESE COMMUNITIES ARE GREATLY IMPACTED BY SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS IN THAT AVERAGE 30-DAY USAGE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE, AND THERE IS THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS: HIGH PROPORTIONS OF UNDERREPRESENTED AND UNDERSERVED MINORITY GROUPS HISTORICALLY LINKED TO DISCRIMINATION OR EXCLUSION (HEALTHY PEOPLE, 2030), LOWER LEVELS OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, HIGH POVERTY LEVELS, LACK OF COORDINATED ACCESS TO PREVENTIVE AND TREATMENT RESOURCES, AND HIGH LEVELS OF ADULTS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS. (2) COORDINATING SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION MESSAGING AND STIGMA REDUCING STRATEGIES AND CAMPAIGNS FOR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES TO POSITIVELY IMPACT SOCIAL NORMS, REDUCE RISK FACTORS, AND IMPROVE PROTECTIVE FACTORS. DUPAGE COUNTY, ILLINOIS COMPRISES 39 MUNICIPALITIES IN THE DENSELY POPULATED, WESTERN SUBURBS OF CHICAGO. RECENT TRENDS SHOW THAT DUPAGE COUNTY IS BECOMING MORE DIVERSE, ESPECIALLY THE HISPANIC POPULATION, WHICH WAS 9% IN 2000 AND IS 15% IN 2022. LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS ARE GROWING WHILE HIGHER INCOME POPULATIONS CONTINUE TO DECLINE. NEARLY 70,000 CHILDREN ARE SERVED BY THE MEDICAID PROGRAM (IMPACT DUPAGE 2022). THE DUPAGE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY RATE IS HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE. THE PROJECT HAS TWO GOALS: (1) INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF DUPAGE COUNTY COMMUNITY GROUPS TO REDUCE HIGH-RISK BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SUBSTANCE USE ADDICTION AND MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG ADULTS AND YOUTH THROUGH ESTABLISHING LOCAL COALITIONS; (2) DECREASE PAST 30-DAY USE RATES AMONG DUPAGE COUNTY YOUTH BY INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF PARENTS AND SCHOOLS TO IMPLEMENT EVIDENCED-BASED STRATEGIES PROVEN TO PREVENT YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE. A TOTAL OF SEVEN MEASURABLE PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE ALIGNED WITH THE TWO GOALS IN ADDITION TO MEASURABLE SAMHSA PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. THE PROJECT WILL REACH A MINIMUM OF 460,451 RESIDENTS ANNUALLY THROUGH COUNTY-WIDE AWARENESS BUILDING AND PREVENTIVE MESSAGING. A TARGETED APPROACH WILL REACH OVER 50,000 YOUTH AND ADULTS ANNUALLY IN HIGH-RISK COMMUNITIES. OVERALL, THE PROJECT WILL REACH WELL OVER 1 MILLION RESIDENTS (DUPLICATED) OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD.