Cooperative Agreement NH28CE002972

KEY CONNECTION COALITION DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES - COMMUNITY OVERVIEWTHE CITY OF KENNEWICK IS LOCATED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER IN SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON STATE. KENNEWICK, THE LARGEST OF THE "TRI-CITIES", SPANS APPROXIMATELY 29 SQUARE MILES AND HAS A POPULATION OF NEARLY 83,000, A 10% INCREASE SINCE 2010. THE CITY'S DIVERSE POPULATION IS 75% WHITE AND 28% HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY OF ANY RACE. THE CITY'S HISPANIC POPULATION INCREASED 125% FROM 2010 TO 2017. IN 2017, THE HOUSEHOLDS IN KENNEWICK HAD A MEDIAN ANNUAL INCOME OF $54,420, WELL BELOW THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF $70979 ACROSS WASHINGTON STATE AND $61937 ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. KENNEWICK HAS SEVERAL UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE NORMALIZATION OF SUBSTANCE USE IN THE COMMUNITY BOTH BY YOUTH AND ADULTS. FIRST, RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WAS LEGALIZED IN WASHINGTON STATE IN 2012. SECOND, THE PRIVATIZATION OF LIQUOR SALES WAS ENACTED IN 2011, LEGALIZING THE SALE OF LIQUOR IN GROCERY STORES AND "BIG-BOX" STORES. FINALLY, THE AREA IS PART OF WASHINGTON'S "WINE COUNTRY", IS HOME TO NUMEROUS WINERIES AND BREWERIES, AND IS LOCATED ON SEVERAL WINE TOUR ROUTES. ALL OF THESE THINGS CONTRIBUTE TO A CULTURE THAT IS NOT ONLY TOLERANT TOWARDS BUT PROMOTES THE USE OF MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL. THIS IS EVIDENT IN THE DATA WHICH SHOWS THAT A QUARTER OF KENNEWICK'S 12TH GRADERS AND NEARLY 20% OF THE 10TH GRADERS USED ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA IN 2018. EQUALLY CONCERNING IS THE 40% INCREASE IN THE USE OF E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING PRODUCTS BY KENNEWICK'S YOUTH FROM 2016 TO 2018, MIRRORING A NATIONAL INCREASE IN THE POPULARITY OF VAPING PRODUCTS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. KENNEWICK YOU HAVE FOUR TIMES AS MANY DRUG-RELATED ARRESTS THAN ALL OF WASHINGTON STATE AND THREE TIMES AS MANY ALCOHOL-RELATED ARRESTS. THEY ALSO HAVE LOWER GRADUATION RATES (77%) THAN ALL OF WASHINGTON STATE (79%), BOTH OF WHICH ARE WELL BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 85%.THE KEY CONNECTION COALITION WAS FO RMED IN LATE 2018 WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF PREVENTING AND REDUCING THE USE OF ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, TOBACCO/E-CIGARETTES, AND NON-PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS BY KENNEWICK'S YOUTH. IN ITS FIRST YEAR, KEY CONNECTION DEVELOPED A COMPREHENSIVE LONG-RANGE PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL. THIS STRATEGIC PLAN IS ROOTED IN SAMHSA'S STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK PLANNING MODEL AND THE SEVEN STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY LEVEL CHANGE. THE COALITION RECEIVED FUNDING FROM WASHINGTON STATE'S COMMUNITY PREVENTION AND WELLNESS INITIATIVE AND IS USING THOSE FUNDS TO ADDRESS YOUTH ALCOHOL USE AND NON-PRESCRIPTION OPIOID MISUSE. IF FUNDED BY DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES SUPPORT PROGRAM, KEY CONNECTION INTENDS TO UTILIZE THE FUNDS TO REDUCE THE USE OF MARIJUANA, E-CIGARETTES/VAPE PRODUCTS, AND ALCOHOL, BY THE COMMUNITY'S YOUTH. THE SPECIFIC OUTCOMES THE COALITION HOPES TO ACHIEVE ARE TO REDUCE THE KENNEWICK'S 10TH GRADERS' USE OF MARIJUANA, E-CIGARETTES/VAPE PRODUCTS, AND ALCOHOL BY 10%, 5%, AND 12%, RESPECTIVELY. KEY CONNECTION PLANS TO IMPLEMENT MULTIPLE STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS, INCLUDING REDUCING YOUTH ACCESS TO THESE SUBSTANCES AND UTILIZING MEDIA, AWARENESS ACTIVITIES, AND PUBLIC EVENTS TO REDUCE THE FAVORABLE ATTITUDES TOWARDS SUBSTANCE USE AND INCREASE THE PERCEPTION OF HARM FROM SUBSTANCE USE AMONG KENNEWICK'S YOUTH. KEY CONNECTION ALSO AIMS TO IMPROVE ITS OWN CAPACITY AND INCREASE THE COMMUNITY'S AWARENESS OF THE COALITION AND ITS STRATEGIES, BOTH OF WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE COALITION'S ABILITY TO CREATE THE COMMUNITY LEVEL CHANGE IT SEEKS.