Tai Chi Class– For Recovery:
When: Tues., Fri., and Sun., Time: 6:30 P.M. Where: Proctor Park on Rutger St. in Utica.

For more information call 315-733-1709 or email siobhan@mvcaa.org

The 411 on Coalitions:

“It is better to prevent bad habits than

to break them” -Ben Franklin

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported that effects and consequences of substance abuse and addiction cost federal, state and local governments no less than $467.7 billion. Regardless of this reality, less than 2% of funding went towards preventive efforts. In his fiscal year 2010 budget request, President Obama recommended eliminating the entire State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug– Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program. His budget also proposes adding $100 million to the National Programs portion of SDFSC for competitive grants to LEAs. This new program would result in a limited number of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) being funded.
According to Washington State Institute for Public Policy Report: Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth, September 2004, evidence-based prevention programs are cost effective ways to diminish the prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and choices, not just in our youth but our communities as a whole. Estimates on the dollars saved for every dollar spent for Model programs in New York State range from $7.82 to $55.84.
Multi-strategy approaches that include environmental, cultural, and community competences have proven to be most successful in reducing alcohol and drug use in our youth. Coalitions serve as a voice of the community that is heard best through their actions. Community coalitions invoke the passion, energy, intelligence, resources, and mutual investment of all members of a community.
Your community could be your street, your school, your town or your county. No community or group is too small to make a difference. Coalitions work to decrease an area’s risk factors while increasing the protective factors by addressing environmental and cultural needs.
Coalitions:
· Build a voice for the community
· Require diverse ideas and skills
· Focus on changing policies, practices, and systems

“A community systems approach influences the community
population rather than the individual.”
-National Coalition Institute’s Research Into Action

Congrats to the Literacy Coalition!

On May 8th the BOCES Consortium of Continuing Education held a press release at Kernan Elementary to celebrate their recent receipt of the WIA Title II Grant from the New York State Education Department. This grant awards them $200,000 annually for three years. BOCES Consortium of Continuing Education has been working hard with the help of 29 community partners to make this initiative a success. In addition these partners have offered $480,000 in kind. These monies will help to provide Family Welcome Centers, delivery of programs for adult students and children in the targeted community of West Utica. Literacy Zone staff will include: One fulltime Community Coordinator, three fulltime Adult Literacy Teachers, one fulltime Case Manager and one parttime Family Literacy Educator. This grant seeks to assist adults and out of school youth in accessing pathways out of poverty, improve adults’ basic education and literacy and strengthen family support for children’s education.
An additional goal of this group is to develop a functional and sustainable coalition to help implement these efforts, with or without the presence of money. We, at the Mohawk Valley Council on Alcoholism/Additions, as advocates for the Central Region Prevention Resource Centerare excited to share in this news. As discussed in the previous issue, the PRC’s vision
is to provide a network of prevention partners who support our communities in their
efforts to provide and maintain healthy, safe environments across the central region.
Research over the past two decades has tried to determine how drug abuse begins and
how it progresses. Identifying and understanding the risk and protective factors in
your community provides a solid base from which to begin planning. Risk factors can
increase a person's chances fordrug abuse, while protective factors can reduce the
risk. Most individuals at risk for drug abuse do not start using drugs or
become addicted. The table below describes how risk and protective factors
affect people in settings where interventions can take place.
Source:Excerpt from National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Preventing
Drug Use among Children and Adolescents

Identify red, focus on green

Risk Factors Domain ProtectiveFactors
Early Aggressive Individual SelfControl
Behavior

Lack of Parental Family Parental Monitoring
Supervision

Substance Abuse Peer Academic Competence

Drug Availability School Antidrug
Use Policies

Poverty Community Strong Neighborhood

The essentials for coalition building:

“Building healthier communities through collaboration.”

Assessment:
· Create and maintain coalitions and partnerships.
· Assess community needs and resources.
· Analyze problems and goals.
· Develop a framework or model of change.
Capacity:
· Increase participation and membership.
· Build leadership
· Enhance Cultural Competence

lanning:
· Develop Strategic and action plans
Implementation:
· Develop Interventions
· Advocate for change
· Influence policy development
· Write grant applications for funding
Evaluation:
· Evaluate initiatives
· Sustain projects and partnerships.

Welcome

This blog was established to serve as a venue for sharing information and good news. Given the technological shifts within our society we wanted to provide an online tool to help provide technical assisstance and guidance to those that we serve.
Collaboration is the key tool in esablishing, developing and sustaining successful efforts to address this health crisis surrouding substance abuse and addictions within our communities. Our plan is to use this site to offer guidance, answer questions, and celebrate the successes. It is our mission to assist you and your coalition in improving the quality of your community.
If you have any questions or concerns and do not feel a response is being addressed adequately or promtly enough, do call or email:
Siobhan Budine
Community Outreach Specialist
Mohawk Valley Council on Alcoholism/Addicitons
siobhan@mvcaa.org
315-733-1709