Youth Intervention and Public Health by YIPA and Kevin Spading, Project Director Minnesota Prevention Resource Center

YIPA believes that many early intervention youth services help to prevent public health issues. Working with youth that are just starting to use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs can prevent costly future health related problems. These problems can be both physical and mental. There are lots of studies (even YIPA’s SROI research) that show the correlations between youth that quit school and take up a life of drug use and criminal behavior. This correlation is also shown in a report by Mark Cohen, an economist at Vanderbilt University.

Youth violence is another powerful public health issue that youth intervention programs help to combat. At the 76^th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, leaders from around the country adopted a resolution that youth violence is a public health issue, argued for successful community models of youth violence intervention and stated that, “urges the federal government, states and cities to recognize youth violence as a public health epidemic that requires a sustained multi-faceted approach focused on prevention.”

Many other resources exist which indicate the powerful potential in linking youth intervention programs to public health campaigns. The American Public Health Association recently adopted 16 policies at its 137th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The newly adopted policies address a broad range of public health issues including urging Congress and states to fund comprehensive culturally competent programs based on scientific evidence and using guidance from the surgeon general’s 2001 report on youth violence. Urges training for state and local public health departments about the role of public health in preventing violence and in effective, evidence-based programs for youth violence prevention. Calls for the support of additional research to understand the community and societal factors that can contribute to or prevent youth violence and how such factors can be modified to reduce risk or enhance protection. Click here for a copy of APHA's full press release.

YIPA is excited to deepen our connections to the world of public health. Below are some opportunities provided by Kevin Spading of the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, that we encourage youth intervention providers to consider:

ATOD Prevention is a year round pursuit: Spring opportunities! by Kevin Spading

Here at the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (www.emprc.org) alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention is a week to week, month by month and season by season pursuit.

This spring, the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center has announced our Program Sharing Call for Presentations for breakout sessions, as well as for exhibitors! On October 13^th and 14^th, we are delighted to announce that Dr. Ed Ehlinger from the University of Minnesota – Boynton Health Services and Dr Tom McLellan from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will come to share their vision for a prevention strong Minnesota! Like gardening, prevention requires us to be adaptable to the environment. We need to attend to community issues on a regular basis in order to see positive results for individuals, families and communities. Hearing from these leaders will help guide our work in uprooting problems associated with mood altering substances. Go to http://www.emprc.org/ps2010/ to learn how to apply!

A successful garden means we need be aware of its surroundings and address issues that emerge. The same is true for prevention. A close examination of recent upward trends in prescription and OTC medication abuse drove our theme for this year’s Spring ATOD Forums. This year’s forums will be Not What the Doctor Ordered?: Trends and Tools to Prevent Prescription and OTC Medication Abuse presented by Rick Moldenhauer, Treatment Services Consultant at Department of Human Services, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Division. For more information or to register to attend, go to http://www.emprc.org/springforums2010/.

In addition to these events, keep an eye out for another training called: " Wellness and Substance Abuse Prevention--Making the Connection". This event will be June 1^st at the Neighborhood House, Wellstone Center in St. Paul. The guest speaker will be Dr. Steve Zvonar from the Northwoods Healing Center. Since we know that wellness is such a protective factor for substance abuse, Dr Steve Zvonar will make the case for how disciplines for mental, emotional and physical wellness build protective factors for individuals and families. Look for registration information to be available on the MPRC website by mid-April at www.emprc.org.

As you consider what is happening in your community and what you may be needing to attend to, please consider making sure you remember that ATOD prevention requires time, diligence and utilization of “what works” to allow for your community to bloom with health.

As you can tell, keeping the preventionist “gardener” equipped with all of the latest tools is very important in addressing the onset of problems related to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. I hope you will take advantage of all of these wonderful opportunities to provide best practice in the “field”.