Project Grant NH28CE003297

FACES 4 CHANGE: METH AMPHETAMINES PREVENTION (F4C: M.A.P.) - THE FACES 4 CHANGE: METH AMPHETAMINE PREVENTION, OR F4C M.A.P. COALITION WILL SERVE COMMUNITIES IN HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA. HARRISONBURG IS THE LARGEST CITY IN VIRGINIA?S ROCKINGHAM COUNTY SEAT WITH THE MOST URBAN LOCALITY AND LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL SHENANDOAH VALLEY. THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF FORENSIC SCIENCE?S 2018 REPORTS SHOWS THAT IN ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DRUG CASES FOR METHAMPHETAMINE IS STEADILY INCREASING, MORE SO THAN ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE. METH IS THE MOST WIDELY USED ILLICIT DRUG - FROM 50 DRUG CASES IN 2010 TO OVER 225 DRUG CASES IN 2018. IN THE CITY OF HARRISONBURG, WHILE MARIJUANA EXCEEDS OTHER DRUGS, METH IS NOW THE SECOND MOST WIDELY USED SUBSTANCE. IN 2010, THERE WERE LESS THAN 10 METH CASES COMPARED TO THE ALMOST 140 CASES REPORTED IN 2018. HARRISONBURG IS HOME OF JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY (JMU), ONE OF THE LARGEST EMPLOYERS IN THE AREA. IN 2019, JMU?S INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION IN HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES YOUTH DATA SURVEY RESULTS SHOW A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF HARRISONBURG CITY AND ROCKINGHAM COUNTY STUDENTS USE OF METH FROM 2017 TO 2019 (1.9% AND 2.1%). WHILE THE INCREASE IS SLIGHT AMONG YOUTH IN GRADES 8, 10 AND 11, THE NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF METH USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE. RESULTS FROM THE 2019 NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH (NSDUH) SHOW THAT AMONG ADOLESCENTS AGED 12 TO 17, 0.2% USED METH IN THE PAST YEAR. THE MONITORING THE FUTURE NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS SHOW 2020 ANNUAL PREVALENCE RATES AT 0.5%, 0.3% AND 1.4% IN GRADES 8, 10, AND 12 RESPECTIVELY. THESE RESULTS CONCUR THAT HARRISONBURG/ROCKINGHAM COUNTY YOUTH ARE USING METH IN GREATER NUMBERS THAN ARE THEIR NATIONAL COUNTERPARTS.THE PURPOSE OF THE F4C M.A.P.CARA PROGRAM IS TO ENHANCE THE EFFORTS OF OUR DFC RECIPIENTS TO ALSO PREVENT METH USE/ABUSE AMONG YOUTH AGES 12-18. THE COALITION WILL ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM BY ?SOUNDING THE ALARM.? WE WILL SOUND THE ALARM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF W ORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT METH USE AMONG YOUTH IN ZIP CODES 22801 AND 22802 BY USING THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK (SPF) AS OUR PLANNING TOOL TO IMPLEMENT THE SEVEN STRATEGIES OF COMMUNITY-LEVEL CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL CHANGE THE CULTURE AND CONTEXT REGARDING THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOUTH USE/MISUSE OF METH USING A PEER-TO-PEER MODEL TO RAISE THE AWARENESS OF THE YOUTH PROBLEM IN OUR CITY.AT PRESENT, THERE IS NO FOCUS ON METH USE/ABUSE PREVENTION, DESPITE ITS INCREASING USE AMONG YOUTH. THE SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES OF THIS CARA GRANT ARE TO: (1) INCREASE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDER AWARENESS OF METH USE; (2) INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, SCHOOLS, YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS, AND PARENTS TO ADDRESS YOUTH METH USE; AND (3) INCREASE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION, COORDINATION, AND COLLABORATION ON ISSUES TO PREVENT YOUTH METH USE. THE INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES ARE: (1) ADDRESS FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF YOUTH METH USE; (2) INCREASE PROMOTION OF FACTORS THAT MINIMIZE THE RISK OF METH USE; (3) INCREASE THE EASE, ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH TO ACCESS COMMUNITY-BASED AND SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMS TO EMPHASIZE SELF-EFFICACY AND LEARNING SKILLS THAT PREVENT METH USE; AND (4) DECREASE THE EASE, ABILITY, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH TO ACCESS METH. OUR LONG-TERM OUTCOME IS TO REDUCE AND PREVENT THE USE OF METH AMONG YOUTH AND TO CHANGE THE CULTURE AND CONTEXT REGARDING ACCEPTABILITY OF METH USE. THE COALITION WILL ACHIEVE ITS GOALS BY ENHANCING ACCESS/REDUCING BARRIERS FOR SYSTEMS AND SERVICES, SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS AND PREVENTION EVENTS USING YOUTH POPULAR CULTURE, PREVENTION MESSAGING, PEER LEADERSHIP AND CAPACITY BUILDING TO EDUCATE AND INCREASE AWARENESS IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE AND PREVENT THE USE OF METH AMONG YOUTH.