National Prevention Week 2018:

Start Planning!
Recording in Progress!

This working will be recorded for 

archiving purposes.

David Wilson 

Public Affairs Specialist 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration Center for Substance Abuse 

Prevention
Today’s Agenda

• What is NPW 2018?

• Facing Addiction’s Community 

Convening Guide: Organizing a 

Forum in Your Community

• Operation Prevention Power: 

Planning Dynamic NPW Events

• Q&A

• NPW 2018 Challenge 

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week

NPW 2018 Goals
NPW 2018 Theme

Action Today.

Healthier Tomorrow.

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
Daily Health Themes

Monday, May 14 Promotion of Mental Health & 

Wellness

Tuesday, May 15 Prevention of Underage Drinking & 

Alcohol Misuse

Wednesday, May 16 Prevention of Prescription & Opioid 

Drug Misuse

Thursday, May 17 Prevention of Illicit Drug Use & Youth 

Marijuana Use

Friday, May 18 Prevention of Suicide

Saturday, May 19 Prevention of Youth Tobacco Use

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
Partners

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
Why get involved?

• You will be part of a national dialogue 

about substance use prevention and 

intervention.

• You can raise awareness of the types of 

services you provide to your 

community.

• You can introduce your organization to 

new audiences and potential partners.

• You can make a difference in your 

community.

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
Resources 

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
Resources 

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
NPW 2018 Technical 

Assistance Webinars

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week
NPW 2018 Technical 

Assistance Webinars

• Underage Drinking Prevention Today, 

Healthier Communities Tomorrow: 

Available on SAMHSA’s YouTube channel

• Prevention After Trauma: March 2018

• Preventing Youth Marijuana Use in the 

Age of Legalization: April 2018

• Partnering for Opioid Addiction 

Prevention: May 16, 2018

www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week

Michael King

Director of Outreach and Engagement
FACING ADDICTION’S COMMUNITY 

CONVENING GUIDE:

SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION, SCREENING, AND 

EARLY INTERVENTION
What is Facing Addiction with NCADD?

Since its history-making launch on the National Mall in 2015, 

Facing Addiction has become the leading voice among the nearly 

45 million people and their families whose lives have been directly 

impacted by addiction to alcohol and other drugs.

For more than 70 years, the National Council on Alcoholism and 

Drug Dependence (NCADD) has been a valuable resource for 

millions of people struggling with addiction and its related issues, 

and its 83 Affiliates represent the largest national network in the 

addiction advocacy space.
Origins of our Community Convening Guide

• Policymakers and leaders across the country have worked 

tirelessly to develop effective evidence-based prevention 

practices.

• Despite the development of these programs, they are not 

implemented on a wide enough scale.

• One of the primary reasons is a lack of underlying grassroots 

pressure on community leaders.

• A working group of nearly 20 individuals from Facing Addiction’s 

Action Network has come together to develop a guide aimed at 

the grassroots.
Purpose of the Community Convening Guide

• Provide an outline for organizing community forums.

• Display the necessity and efficacy of evidence-based prevention 

practices.

• Outline the efficacy of SBIRT programming, citing both the latest 

research as well as examples of successful program 

implementation.

• This guide may be used by any community group or 

organization that wants to raise awareness of, and work toward 

implementing, these practices to address substance use 

disorders.
Organizing a Forum in Your Community, Pt. 1

We believe hosting forums or town hall-style meetings—where 

community leaders, parents, students, elected officials, and others 

can attend—is a vital first grassroots step for spreading awareness 

and understanding best practices.
Organizing a Forum in Your Community, Pt. 2

We recommend the following steps in order to present the 

information that follows in our guide:

• Meeting with community leaders

• Designing a forum program

• Building a forum format

• Identifying issue area experts and individuals with real life 

experience

• Building a sizeable crowd
Organizing a Forum in Your Community, Pt. 3

We emphasize the need to make an “ask” moving forward
Potential “Asks” To Be Made

• Signing statements of support for proposed programming to be 

delivered to key community leaders.

• Empowering those in attendance to meet with/call/write key 

community leaders.

• Encouraging those with personal experiences to speak out and 

tell their stories.

• Forming or strengthening a community-based coalition that 

seeks to find community-specific solutions to prevent and 

address substance abuse.

• Encouraging feedback on appropriate “next steps” to educate 

and strengthen the community.

• Encouraging the audience to learn more about local resources 

and how to refer friends/family to the assistance they need.
Evidence-Based Prevention 

Programs & Practices

The following are several examples of evidence-based prevention 

practices mentioned in the guide:

• Nurse Family Partnership

• Good Behavior Game

• Raising Healthy Children (Seattle Social Development Project)

• Fast Track Program

• LifeSkills Training

• Project Towards No Drug Use

• Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10–14

• Coping Power

• Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students 

(BASICS)

• Parent Handbook
Evidence-Based Prevention 

Programs & Practices 

The guide cites the following programs that often unite multiple 

community sectors aimed at decreasing alcohol misuse:

• Communities That Care

• PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to 

Enhance Resilience (PROSPER)

• Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA)

Additional policies specifically aimed at reducing alcohol misuse 

that have proven effective and are analyzed in the report include:

• Targeted tax policies

• Restricting availability

• Commercial host (Dram Shop) policies

• Privatizing alcohol sales and stricter DUI policies
SBIRT Models for Youth from Guide

• SBIRT in school-based health centers in the Bronx, NY

• School-based SBIRT (different from school-based health 

centers) in King County, WA

• SBIRT for Youth in primary care in New Hampshire

• SBIRT in juvenile justice settings at five sites around the country

• Massachusetts has an entire program to introduce SBIRT in 

schools through school nurses and counselors

• Wisconsin implementation of SBIRT in schools
Facing Addiction’s Working Group

• Addiction Haven (Chandler, AZ)

• Arise & Flourish (Rockville, MD)

• Coalition of Behavioral Health Services (Houston, TX)

• Community Catalyst (Boston, MA)

• Drug Prevention Resources (Frisco, TX)

• EndTheStigma/EnoughIsEnough (Greenfield, MA)

• Glow Media (Washington, DC)

• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (Agoura Hills, CA)

• Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions (Pittsburgh, PA)

• Know The Truth (Minneapolis, MN)

• New Way Recovery (Holland, MI)

• Silver Hill Hospital (New Canaan, CT)

• Community Living Above (West Linn, OR)

• The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse (Dallas, TX)
Contact

Michael King, Director of Outreach and Engagement

mking@facingaddiction.org/206-939-2944
We are all 

Facing Addiction 

in some way.

 

Linda Auerback

Substance Abuse Prevention Supervisor

Carroll County Health Department
Planning Dynamic NPW Events
Action Today. Healthier Tomorrow. 

Prevention Works!
Operation Prevention Power 2018

 Partnership with Westminster Elks Lodge and Carroll 

County Prevention Office

 Youth focused $2,500 grant secured for event

 Free and open to the public

 Free refreshments and information booths

 Speakers on drug and alcohol topics relating to youth: 

DEA, Sheriff, State’s Attorney, County Commissioner
Messages and Materials

 Outdoor Activities/Stations

 Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Command

 McDaniel College SIDNE

 Intoxiclock

 Elks Lodge Drug Awareness Trailer

 Wheel of Fortune

 Indoor Activities

 Presentation and speakers

 Awesome door prizes

 Food

NPW gives us the opportunity to celebrate prevention!
Messages and Materials

 Information Booths

 Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office

 Carroll County Health Department Injury Prevention

 Cigi Butts, Sun Guard Man, Sparky, Fatal Vision 

Goggles

 Boys and Girls Club

 CCHD Cigarette Restitution Fund

 CCHD Women’s Health

 On Our Own

 Y of Central Maryland

 Foolproof Improvisational Troupe
School-Based Activities

 Carroll County high school 

students wrote and produced 

four PSAs currently airing

 “Be a True Friend” on alcohol 

and sexual assault

 “It Can Happen to You”

 “Underage Drinking”

 “Don’t be an Unintentional 

Drug Dealer” about an 

athlete and how he started 

with prescription drugs

 Recruit drama club students

 Involve the schools

 Nearly 4,000 Carroll County 

high school students attended 

the Drug and Violence Expo and 

received National Prevention 

Week wristbands
National Prevention Week 

Drug and Alcohol Facts

 Daily Drug and Wellness Fact written by Prevention Office 

and widely distributed via email and social media

 2018 Topics

 Monday: Prevention and Wellness

 Tuesday: Alcohol 

 Wednesday: Prescription Drugs, Fentanyl, & Heroin

 Thursday: Synthetic Cannabinoids and Marijuana

 Friday: Prevention of Suicide Awareness

 Saturday: Tobacco and Vaping
National Prevention 

Week Newsletter

Distributed to more than 

2,000 agency and community 

members

Posted to social media sites
Partnerships and Collaboration

 Carroll County Sheriff’s Office

 Community presentations, 

mobile command, coalition

 Carroll County State’s Attorney’s 

Office

 Presentations, “Don’t Believe 

the Lie,” coalition meetings, 

Special Opts High School 

Assembly, “Heroin Still Kills” 

video 

 Law enforcement agencies

 Health and human services 

 Youth-serving agencies

 Public and private schools

 Local colleges

 Home School Association

 Career and Technology Center

 Local businesses

 Community Media Center

 First responders

 Recovery community

 Faith community

 Parents

 Medical profession

 Pharmacist/pharmacies

 Hospital

 SAMHSA
Creative Partners

Teens received community 

service learning hours for 

participation

A local bridal shop 

collaborated with the 

Prevention Office in 

the filming of a PSA 

on heroin
Agency Involvement

Bulletin Board Challenge
Marketing

Newspaper

Television

Local cable stations

Radio spots

Social media

Schools

Churches

Businesses

Flyers

Coalition members

Community volunteers
Best Practices

 Start planning early!

 Meet with sponsor face-to-face.

 Determine focus of awareness program/forum.

 Who is the target audience?

 Find a suitable location.

 Involve the media, school, and volunteers.

 Distribute flyers via email, social media, libraries, 

churches, schools, and businesses.

 Network with community partners.

Key to Success: Promote, Promote, Promote!
National Press Club: NPW Kickoff

Involve our youth!

Foolproof Improv 

Troupe
Strong as One. Stronger Together.

Give Teens a Voice
Signed, My Younger Self

Dear Future Me

Challenge
Teens Filming Teens

Involve Dignitaries

Community Leaders 

Getting ready for 2018 

NPW activities
Contact Information

Linda Auerback, CCP, ICPS

Substance Abuse Prevention Supervisor

Carroll County Health Department

410–876–4803 

 linda.auerback@maryland.gov
Any questions?

Tell us about your events!

• Get more exposure for your NPW 

event!

• Submit event details through the NPW 

website and we’ll help promote it. 

• How? Visit the NPW website’s “Submit 

Events” page. 

• URL: samhsa.gov/preventionweek/communityevents/submit-events 

(bookmark the page!) 
Dear Future Me

Click link to view video:

https://youtu.be/KHwNW2oZwTU
NPW 2018 Challenge 

What would you say to your future self 

about what you’re doing today to ensure 

a healthier tomorrow?

• Write a letter (or draw a picture!) about the 

choices you’re making today to live a 

healthier, happy life.

• Record a video of yourself reading your letter, 

or take a picture of your letter or illustration.

• Share it on social media with #DearFutureMe

and #NPW2018.
Next Webinar:

Prevention After Trauma

March 2018