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A population that has been chosen by the ASAP Center for focused efforts because of unique prevention needs or opportunities.
Faith communities play a unique role in the lives of individuals and families. They have resources that can prevent high-risk use of alcohol and other drugs and encourage early intervention activities. The ASAP Center helps faith communities find, develop, and implement substance abuse prevention activities appropriate for their spiritual beliefs, congregations, and communities.
Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) developed a video, Keeping the Faith in Drug Abuse Prevention. The video features ASAP Center work with the faith community. The hour-long video aired on satellite to TV stations Jan. 28, 2010, and is accessible free of charge at www.mctft.com. Click here to view the 10 minute ASAP Center segment.
With the dramatic rise in the Hispanic/Latino population in the Greater Cincinnati region have come opportunities and problems. Many Hispanics are not aware of the resources available to help them, and some are at high risk for problems associated with substance abuse. The ASAP Center helps the Hispanic/Latino community take advantage of opportunities to strengthen their community and prevent alcohol and other drug problems.
Hispanic and Latino adolescent females are shown to have substantial increased risk of substance abuse. To help prevent this abuse, the ASAP Center connects people in the Greater Cincinnati region to ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina!, a nationally recognized initiative by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The group’s purpose is to connect to each other and to the Hispanic community to implement effective prevention activities and increase protective factors. The ASAP Center facilitates meetings for Abriendo Puertas, coordinates projects and provides training and technical assistance.
ASAP has a "free from substance abuse" group in the Hispanic community, Abriendo Puertas - Opening Doors to life free from substance abuse for the Hispanic/Latino community. Click here to view their web page.
Rural communities have access to fewer resources for substance abuse prevention than suburban or urban areas. Yet, many people in rural communities see the need for prevention and want to act. Rural communities have unique problems and solutions regarding substance use, and the ASAP Center works with these communities to address their problems in ways that make sense for their culture and community.
The ASAP Center works directly with residents of rural communities to tailor substance abuse prevention training to their needs. We take the training and resources to them, rather than making them come to us. We develop relationships and bring people with common interests together to link communities. By sharing scarce resources across community and county lines, we can build more capacity. For example, the ASAP Center awarded a mini-grant to the Pendleton County Homemakers’ Association to develop community activities around developmental asset building, an evidence-based practice.
The ASAP Center is working to increase prevention activities for older adults by forming a workgroup of key leaders from the tri-state who have an interest in this issue. This workgroup will:
- provide or encourage community education and awareness of alcohol and other drug prevention and older adults;
- identify needs and prevention and early intervention opportunities;
- learn about existing activities, programs, and approaches;
- support community members as they implement prevention and early intervention activities; and
- encourage implementation of prevention and early intervention efforts by prevention and substance use disorder treatment professionals.