Dccca Inc

THE NEW TRADITION COALITION OF LAWRENCE DRUG FREE COMMUNITY PROJECT

DOUGLAS COUNTY DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE

DCCCA AND UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA: PARTNERS IN MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS - OUR PROJECT WILL PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA (UCO) LOCATED IN EDMOND, OKLAHOMA INCLUDING STAFF, FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH THE INTENT OF PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND LINKAGES TO SERVICES FOR STUDENTS 18-25 ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY. WE WILL SPECIFICALLY TARGET CAMPUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN HOUSING, VETERAN'S SUPPORT SERVICES, THE NURSING PROGRAM, AND CAMPUS AND LOCAL POLICE. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (2018), FIFTY PERCENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS BEGINS BY AGE 14 AND THREE-QUARTERS BEGINS BY AGE 25. ACCORDING TO THE FALL 2019 ENROLLMENT DATA, 77.9% OF THE UCO STUDENTS ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-25. RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND CONNECTING A PERSON TO SERVICES EARLY IN THEIR LIFE CAN HELP REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF THEIR ILLNESS. THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA CENTER FOR COUNSELING AND WELLBEING (CCWB) HAS AGREED TO BE OUR COLLABORATIVE PARTNER IN THIS GRANT PROJECT TO RESPOND TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. DCCCA WILL PARTNER WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA (UCO) TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY UTILIZING THE EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID. THIS CURRICULUM TEACHES PARTICIPANTS HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, IDENTIFY RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY, AND EMPHASIZES DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES. DCCCA HAS OVER 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING TRAININGS TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE. IN OKLAHOMA DCCCA HAS BEEN PROVIDING SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION EDUCATION AND RESOURCES FOR OVER 5 YEARS AS A SUB-GRANTEE OF SAMHSA THROUGH OPIOID MISUSE PREVENTION GRANTS THROUGH THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES. ADDITIONALLY, THE DESIGNATED PROJECT DIRECTOR HAS BEEN A CERTIFIED MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID INSTRUCTOR FOR 1 YEAR. THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA CENTER FOR COUNSELING AND WELLBEING IS OUR PRIMARY REFERRAL SOURCE FOR THIS PROJECT. THEY HAVE MANY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF INCLUDING COUNSELING, SELF-HELP NETWORKS AND PEER HEALTH LEADERS THAT ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS PROJECT. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED, TRAININGS HELD, AND REFERRALS BY TRAINED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE TRACKED AND REPORTED. THE PROJECT DIRECTOR, PREVENTION SPECIALIST, AND 2-3 STAFF MEMBERS AT THE CCWB WILL FORM THE MENTAL HEALTH AID ADVISORY GROUP. THIS GROUP WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING IMPLEMENTATION THROUGHOUT THE GRANT.

CE26-0208 - ENGAGE DOUGLAS COUNTY DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE - THE DOUGLAS COUNTY DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE BASED IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS IS FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY COLLABORATION TO PREVENT YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE. THE COMMUNITY COALITION, ENGAGE DOUGLAS COUNTY, WILL UTILIZE THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK (SPF) TO DESIGN INTERVENTIONS TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PREVENT THE ONSET OF ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA USE AND REDUCE THE PROGRESSION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ITS RELATED PROBLEMS AMONG YOUTH AGED 18 AND UNDER IN THE COUNTY. THE INITIATIVE WILL STRENGTHEN PREVENTION CAPACITY IN DOUGLAS COUNTY TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. ENGAGE DOUGLAS COUNTY WILL FOCUS OUR IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS, A REGION THAT INCLUDES BOTH URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE COUNTY COVERS A TOTAL AREA OF ABOUT 474.47 SQUARE MILES AND A POPULATION OF 121,989 IN 2024. DOUGLAS COUNTY HAS NINE TOWNSHIPS, EXCLUDING LAWRENCE, WHICH INCLUDE THE CITIES OF BALDWIN CITY, EUDORA, LECOMPTON, AND 15 OTHER SMALLER, UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITIES. RESIDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS MAKE UP 17.4 PERCENT OF THE COUNTY’S POPULATION. DOUGLAS COUNTY IS THE FIFTH-MOST POPULOUS COUNTY IN KANSAS. BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020, DOUGLAS COUNTY GREW BY 11,700 RESIDENTS, ONE-THIRD OF WHICH IDENTIFIED AS ASIAN, BLACK, HISPANIC, OR NATIVE AMERICAN. ACCORDING TO THE 2024 CENSUS, DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE 83.1 PERCENT WHITE NON-HISPANIC, 7.3 PERCENT HISPANIC, 4.7 PERCENT BLACK, NON-HISPANIC, 4.8 PERCENT ASIAN, NON-HISPANIC, AND 2.7 PERCENT NATIVE AMERICAN, NON- HISPANIC. ENGAGE DOUGLAS COUNTY HAS IDENTIFIED A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES AND EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA USE AMONG YOUTH. OUR INITIATIVE WILL FOCUS ON TWO GOAL AREAS. GOAL 1: ESTABLISH AND STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION AMONG COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE. BY JUNE 30, 2027, ENGAGE DOUGLAS COUNTY WILL MEET THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: OBJECTIVE 1: INCREASE COLLABORATION WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW COMMUNITY GROUPS AS MEASURED BY COALITION INVOLVEMENT. OBJECTIVE 2: INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF SUBSTANCE USE AND MISUSE ISSUES BY ENSURING ALL RELEVANT RESOURCES ARE LISTED ON THE WEBSITE. OBJECTIVE 3: INCREASE COMMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE COALITION BY TABLING AND/OR PROVIDING INFORMATION DURING AT LEAST ONE EVENT QUARTERLY. OBJECTIVE 4: INCREASE PREVENTION KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE COALITION’S PURPOSE BY HOSTING A TOWN HALL MEETING TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COALITION AND DISCUSS COMMUNITY CHALLENGES. OBJECTIVE 5: STRENGTHEN YOUTH PREVENTION EFFORTS BY ENGAGING YEP! CHAPTERS IN PREVENTION ACTIVITIES. OBJECTIVE 6: ENHANCE COALITION SECTOR REPRESENTATION AND INCREASE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AS EVIDENCED BY ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING AT LEAST ONE REPRESENTATIVE PER SECTOR WITHIN COALITION ROSTER AND MEETING ATTENDANCE RECORDS. GOAL 2: REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AMONG YOUTH AND, OVER TIME, REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AMONG ADULTS BY ADDRESSING THE FACTORS IN A COMMUNITY THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF SUBSTANCE USE AND PROMOTING THE FACTORS THAT MINIMIZE THE RISK OF SUBSTANCE USE. ALCOHOL OBJECTIVE: DECREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF 6TH, 8TH, 10TH, AND 12TH GRADE YOUTH IN DOUGLAS COUNTY THAT REPORT PAST 30-DAY ALCOHOL USE BY 1.2% FROM A BASELINE OF 7.2% IN 2023 TO 6% IN 2026 AS MEASURED BY KANSAS COMMUNITIES THAT CARE STUDENT SURVEY DATA. MARIJUANA OBJECTIVE: DECREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF 6TH, 8TH, 10TH, AND 12TH GRADE YOUTH IN DOUGLAS COUNTY THAT REPORT PAST 30-DAY MARIJUANA USE BY 0.8% FROM A BASELINE OF 3.8% IN 2023 TO 3% IN 2026 AS MEASURED BY KANSAS COMMUNITIES THAT CARE STUDENT SURVEY DATA. OBJECTIVES WILL BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY WITH NEW PERFORMANCE TARGETS ESTABLISHED AS TARGETS ARE ACHIEVED.