The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds a variety of projects to address opioid misuse in communities across the nation. In this case, funding supports the use of the Promoting School and Community Partnerships to Promote Resilience or PROSPER program delivery system to identify and offer evidence-based substance abuse prevention programming through local schools.
Teams composed of a variety of stakeholders and supported by Extension Educators assess community conditions, recruit youth and family members and provide a variety of other resources to ensure that effective prevention programs are available to primarily 7th and 8th-grade students. Ohio is promoting the use of programs that promote life skills and strengthen family relationships. Center evaluators employ an empowerment evaluation approach to evaluate this project. A range of qualitative and quantitative methods, along with community problem-solving skills, are used to evaluate the project and support the development of program improvements.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael Betz
Co-PI: Dr. David Julian
Award Total: $1,055,166