Porter County Substance Abuse Council Inc

PORTER COUNTY PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS

PORTER COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL

PORTER COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL DFC PROJECT

PORTER COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING PROJECT

HUB COALITION PORTAGE - THE 2018 INYS CLEARLY INDICATES THAT 10TH AND 12TH GRADE PORTER COUNTY STUDENTS USE ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AT HIGHER RATES THAN THEIR STATEWIDE COUNTERPARTS. 34.4% OF 12TH GRADE STUDENTS REPORTED USING ALCOHOL IN THE PAST 30 DAYS COMPARED TO 32.2% STATEWIDE. 21.6% OF 12TH GRADE STUDENTS REPORTED USING MARIJUANA IN THE PAST 30 DAYS AS COMPARED TO ONLY 19.5% OF THEIR 8TH GRADE STATEWIDE COUNTERPARTS. CURRENT PRESCRIPTION DRUG MISUSE AMONG PORTER COUNTY YOUTH IS STARTLING—6TH AND 8TH GRADES OUTPACE THEIR STATE COUNTERPARTS BY HUGE MARGINS. 4.6% OF 6TH AND 3.5% OF 8TH GRADE STUDENTS AT REPORT USING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO GET HIGH IN THE PAST 30 DAYS COMPARED TO JUST 2.4% AND 2.5% OF THEIR PEERS AROUND THE STATE. IT IS FOR THESE REASONS THAT HUB COALITION PORTAGE (HCP) HAS SELECTED ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AS THE TARGET SUBSTANCES. TO PUT THE NUMBERS INTO PERSPECTIVE: PORTAGE IS A RURAL CITY; POPULATION 37,737—1,474 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE (COMPARED TO INDIANAPOLIS’ 2,454 PER SQUARE MILE). ALTHOUGH THE LARGEST RACIAL GROUP IS WHITE (77.6%), THE RACE AND ETHNICITY DISTRIBUTIONS OF PORTAGE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE STATE. HISPANICS/LATINOS MAKE UP 19.2% AND 9.5% OF THE POPULATION ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN. THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN 2022 WAS $71,317 AND APPROXIMATELY 11.4% OF INDIVIDUALS LIVE BELOW POVERTY. IN 2020, APPROXIMATELY 15% OF CHILDREN (UNDER 18 YEARS OLD) WERE LIVING IN POVERTY IN PORTAGE. THE DATA REPRESENTS A SNAPSHOT OF THE YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEM IN PORTER COUNTY, INDIANA; HOWEVER, IT CLEARLY ESTABLISHES ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND OPIOIDS AS THE DRUGS OF CHOICE FOR OUR YOUTH. FOR THESE REASONS, HCP HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES IN RESPONSE: 1) REDUCE 30-DAY ALCOHOL MISUSE AMONG 12TH STUDENTS FROM THE CURRENT 2018 BASELINE OF 34.4% TO 32.5% (-5%) BY 2026 AS MEASURED BY THE INDIANA YOUTH SURVEY (INYS) – PORTER COUNTY. (2028 GOAL: 27.5%) 2) REDUCE 30-DAY MARIJUANA MISUSE AMONG 12TH STUDENTS FROM THE CURRENT 2018 BASELINE OF 21.6% TO 20.5% (-5%) BY 2026 AS MEASURED BY THE INDIANA YOUTH SURVEY (INYS) – PORTER COUNTY. (2028 GOAL: 17%) 3) REDUCE 30-DAY PRESCRIPTION DRUG MISUSE AMONG 8TH STUDENTS FROM THE CURRENT 2018 BASELINE OF 3.6% TO 2.5% (-30%) BY 2026 AS MEASURED BY THE INDIANA YOUTH SURVEY (INYS) – PORTER COUNTY. (2028 GOAL: <1%) THE HUB COALITION PORTAGE’S DFC PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE THE COLLECTIVE CAPACITY WITHIN PORTAGE, ALIGN OUR COMPETENCIES, AND STRATEGICALLY DEPLOY OUR RESOURCES TO BETTER POSITION US TO SERVE OUR MISSION WITH PROVEN-EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES THAT 1) INFORM AND SUPPORT OUR RESIDENTS, 2) ENHANCE LOCAL ASSETS, AND 3) IMPROVE THE OVERALL CONTEXT OF OUR COMMUNITY. THE MISSION OF THE HCP IS TO REDUCE YOUTH AND ADULT SUBSTANCE MISUSE BY ASSESSING FOR, PROMOTING THROUGH, AND EDUCATING ABOUT EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY-BASED STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND ACTIVITIES. TO ACHIEVE THIS END, HCP WILL TARGET MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL AGE YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE FIRST YEAR AND SUSTAINED THROUGH THE 5-YEAR PROJECT: 1) SECURING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY TO ADDRESS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION THROUGH WIDE-RANGING COMMUNITY COLLABORATION, 2) IMPROVING COALITION COMPETENCY THROUGH TRAININGS AND EDUCATION, 3) INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE ISSUES AROUND ALCOHOL, MARIJUANA, AND RX/OPIOIDS WITH MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATIONS, 4) ENHANCING PARENTING SKILLS TO BUFFER EXPOSURE TO NEGATIVE INFLUENCES, 5) IMPLEMENTING A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION MEDIA CAMPAIGN TARGETING ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA, 6) ENHANCING SCHOOL-BASED STUDENT PREVENTION CLUBS WITH TRAINING AND ACTIVITY SUPPORT, 7) ADVOCATING FOR SCHOOL DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESPONSE POLICY REVIEWS AND UPDATES, 8) CONDUCTING OUTREACH TARGETING UNDER-RESOURCED, UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, AND 9) IMPROVING ACCESS TO PREVENTION RESOURCE FOR PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

PCSAC STOP ACT PROJECT - PORTER COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL (PCSAC) HAS IDENTIFIED PORTER COUNTY AS THE CATCHMENT AREA AND TARGET POPULATION. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE STOP ACT PROJECT WILL CONCENTRATE ALCOHOL PREVENTION AND REDUCTION STRATEGIES WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED AREAS OF PORTER COUNTY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH BETWEEN 12 TO 20 YEARS OF AGE. GEOGRAPHICALLY, PORTER COUNTY SITS IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF INDIANA, 3 HOURS NORTH OF INDIANAPOLIS AND 45 MINUTES EAST OF CHICAGO. THE COUNTY IS A MIX OF URBAN AND RURAL; TOP INDUSTRIES INCLUDE AGRICULTURE, TOURISM, MANUFACTURING, AND EDUCATION. THE US CENSUS (2020) RECORDED A POPULATION OF 169,594. THE RACIAL MAKEUP OF THE COUNTY WAS 82.8% WHITE, 4.2% BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN, 0.4% NATIVE AMERICAN, 1.5% ASIAN, 1.1% FROM TWO OR MORE RACES. THE HISPANIC/LATINO COMMUNITY DOUBLED IN SIZE OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS FROM 4.82% IN 2013 TO 10.3% IN 2020. POPULATION IS CONCENTRATED WITHIN THE THREE LARGEST CITIES IN PORTER COUNTY: PORTAGE (36,505), CHESTERTON (13,441), AND VALPARAISO (33,104). THE STOP ACT WILL EXPAND EXITING ALCOHOL PREVENTION AND REDUCTION INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT OVER 15,000 RESIDENTS LIVING IN MORE REMOTE AREAS OF THE COUNTY. THE GOAL OF THE PCSAC STOP ACT PROJECT IS TO REDUCE 30-DAY ALCOHOL USE AMONG 12TH GRADE STUDENTS FROM THE 2020 BASELINE OF 33.3% TO 30% (-3.3) BY 2024 AS MEASURED BY THE INDIANA YOUTH SURVEY. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL THE PCSAC STOP ACT PROJECT WILL EXPAND AND ENHANCE OUR CURRENT YOUTH ALCOHOL USE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION STRATEGIES BY: 1.EXPANDING CURRENT SPF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO INCLUDE ALCOHOL-SPECIFIC COMPONENT. 2. MHFA WILL BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE BRIEF SCREENING FOR ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS AND OFFERED COUNTYWIDE, 3. REAL MEDIA WILL BE EXPANDED TO 3 MIDDLE SCHOOLS (CHESTERTON, PORTAGE, AND VALPARAISO) AND FOUR ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS (HEBRON, KOUTS, MORGAN, AND WASHINGTON), 4. MOS WILL BE ENHANCED TO INCLUDE MONTHLY YOUTH ALCOHOL USE PREVENTION PROGRAMMING FEATURING YOUTH AND ADULT STORYLINES. THE ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDE SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIRECT MESSAGING MATERIALS TARGETING UNDERAGE DRINKING, 5. STICKER SHOCK WILL BE EXPANDED TO DOUBLE THE CURRENT VOLUME IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS WITH THE AIM OF MAXIMIZING UTILIZATION COUNTYWIDE, AND 6. INCLUDED IN STICKER SHOCK STRATEGY IS THE PROMOTION OF LEGISLATION AND/OR POLICIES THAT REQUIRE THE USE OF STICKER SHOCK OR SIMILAR ANTI-UNDERAGE DRINKING MESSAGING.

PORTER COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL DFC PROJECT