New Funding, Same prevention

​South Bend-    South Bend School District in partnership with the Pacific County Health Department, has been selected as one of 5 communities statewide to take part in  the expansion of the Community Wellness and Prevention Initiative (CPWI) by the Department of Behavioral Health & Recovery.  The purpose of this initiative is to develop  new coalitions and provide direct substance abuse prevention programs to youth in schools across the state.   A new coalition will be formed to design and implement the CPWI plan in South Bend. The coalition will include school staff, ESD 113 staff, law enforcement, as well as parents, students, and other members of the community.    
 
DBHR is supporting this Initiative in order to focus community and school-based prevention resources in the targeted communities across the state, increasing opportunities to affect community-level changes to drug prevalence rates and associated consequences.  The grant begins September 1st and will provide funding for a full time coalition coordinator, a full time prevention intervention specialist for the South Bend School, and funding for substance use prevention strategies.   To achieve the primary goal of reducing substance use and the related negative consequences such as juvenile crime, the coalition will identify the highest prevention needs, plan and implement evidence-based strategies, leverage local resources and evaluate the impact of selected programs.  
 
The new coalition’s mission is to promote wellness by reducing substance misuse and promoting mental health among area youth. If you’d like to get involved or learn more about coalition efforts, please contact Kelsey Hopstad at 360-875-9343. 

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