Riverhead Community Awareness Program Inc

TO REDUCE AND PREVENT ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCE ABUSE WITHIN THE RIVERHEAD SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY

DURING ITS 40TH YEAR (2021-2022), OUR PULASKI STREET PREVENTION/EDUCATION PROGRAM (TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS) DIRECTLY SERVED 767 FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS, A TOTAL OF 33 CLASSES EACH MONTH FOR EIGHT MONTHS. THE PRE-POST TEST RESULTS DEMONSTRATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES.IN ADDITION, CAP SOCIAL WORKERS PROVIDED WEEKLY PEER LEADERSHIP TRAINING TO OVER 50 HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TEACH THE MONTHLY PULASKI STREET PREVENTION/EDUCATION PROGRAM, IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. CAP ALSO PROVIDED SUMMER WORKSHOPS FOR 27 ADDITIONAL INCOMING MIDDLE SCHOOL PEER LEADERS, AND 18 HIGH SCHOOL PEER LEADERS. CAP ALSO PROVIDED THE TOO GOOD FOR DRUGS PROGRAM TO 91 FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS IN 4 CLASSES IN 1 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

DURING YEAR 9 OF THE DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES GRANT PERIOD (2021-2022), THE RIVERHEAD COMMUNITY COALITION FOR SAFE AND DRUG-FREE YOUTH GENERATED 764 ACCOMPLISHMENTS/OUTPUTS DIRECTED TOWARD REDUCING UNDERAGE DRINKING, PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE, UNDERAGE VAPE USE (E-CIGARETTES) AND MARIJUANA USE, AS WELL AS INCREASING COALITION CAPACITY. THESE INCLUDED 51 COMMUNITY ACTIONS DIRECTED TOWARDS CHANGING POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES; 14 COMMUNITY CHANGES THAT RESULTED FROM THE COMMUNITY ACTIONS; 115 SERVICES PROVIDED TO OVER 20,474 INDIVIDUALS; OVER 6.75 MILLION MEDIA IMPRESSIONS; AND 28 ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. AREAS OF SUCCESS INCLUDED: THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE YOUTH COALITION AND SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH COALITION DRIVEN ACTIVITIES; OUTREACH TO BUILD NEW RELATIONSHIPS TO BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY;IMPLEMENTATION OF MARIJUANA ZONING AND SMOKE FEE ORDINANCES; STAFF MEMBERS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING; STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE, MARIJUANA AND UNDERAGE DRINKING; DEVELOPING NEW COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE REACH IN THE COMMUNITY INCLUDING SPANISH LANGUAGE MEDIA OUTLETS AND TRANSLATIONS; STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF UNDERAGE VAPE USE IN THE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY; AND EXPANDING PRESCRIPTION DRUG SAFETY PRACTICES, DROP OFF AWARENESS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT RESULTED IN THE COLLECTION OF 1,130 POUNDS OF UNWANTED AND UNUSED MEDICATIONS.

DURING THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR, CAP SOCIAL WORKERS PROVIDED INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, AND FAMILY COUNSELING AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES, ASSESSMENTS AND REFERRALS TO 74 STUDENTS IN RIVERHEAD HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 524 COUNSELING SESSIONS. IN ADDITION, 61 STUDENTS WERE SEEN IN 13 SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS (TYPICALLY USING EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS) IN THE TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. AT LEAST 80% OF THE STUDENTS WHO CONTINUED WITH INDIVIDUAL, GROUP OR FAMILY COUNSELING, OR WHO WERE SEEN FOR CRISIS INTERVENTION, SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN ONE OR MORE MEASURABLE AREAS. THE ROLE OF SCHOOL BASED PREVENTION COUNSELING IS TO ADDRESS RISK FACTORS FOR FUTURE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND TO TEACH STUDENTS TO UTILIZE APPROPRIATE COPING STRATEGIES.