Highlights from Heritage Fund's Project Prevent

As Bartholomew County, via Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP), began to organize its response to the increasing toll that substance abuse was taking on individuals, families, and the entire community, Mark and Wendy Elwood stepped forward and asked how they could help.

Targeting prevention efforts, the Elwoods challenged the community to match their $500,000 donation. In four and a half months the community did just that, and Bartholomew County had a $1M fund to focus exclusively on prevention called Project Prevent.

ASAP joined the efforts of the City of Columbus, Bartholomew County, and Columbus Regional Health to address treatment and recovery issues that had reached crisis proportions.

The goal of Project Prevent was to make Bartholomew County the most knowledgeable community in the country about opioids in the hopes of stopping abuse before it starts.

The Elwoods' generosity has generated a series of grassroots community-driven programs that provide an exemplary network to educate, support, and encourage people to be smart about substance abuse.

Project Prevent Grant Recipients

TURNING POINT

Family Game Night connected with more than 100 families. A booklet about Family Game Night was distributed to more than 2,300 residents with easy tips for parents/caregivers on how to make a Family Game Night successful. More than 100 games were handed out to families for their own Family Game Nights.

FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH

More than 230 teens participated in Teen Nights, which were designed to be no judgment, no pressure and no stress. Teen Nights were designed to be a safe place where teenagers could hang out, play games, and just chill — without parents. ASAP messaging was added throughout the building, as well as the "We Know. We Can." theatrical performance performed one of the nights.

Atticus DeMaio said he came to the first Teen Night because he was bored and needed something to do. “It was fun,” he said. “My friends from Central were here, and we ran around laughing all the time. I am ready for the next one!”

COMMUNITY DOWNTOWN

Parent Project’s target population is parents of adolescents who have potential problematic behavior. The project is an evidence-based, nationally recognized parenting program that equips parents of teens to prevent and divert high-risk behavior. Balanced with grace and love, it provides specific tools for parents. There will be two 10-week series facilitated by Cheryl Dougherty to be offered in 2019.

Celebration Place targeted children in Grades 1-6 who have parents in recovery. The 52-week curriculum to assist children working through lessons of denial, emotions, trust and relationships is the companion program of Celebrate Recovery. An average of 12 to 15 children have participated.

Recover Run is a running and walking group for women in recovery with three weekly options for all levels of fitness. The program targets women in recovery, and grant funds cover the cost of running shoes for women who need financial assistance. A dozen pairs of shoes have been purchased to date.

Hands of Hope is a mentoring support training for three churches in the county to develop support teams for adoptive and fostering parents.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Seven preschools have taken advantage of the funding available for Healthy Alternatives for Little Ones. Also known as HALO, the hands-on health education and prevention program for 3- to 6-year-old children offers comprehensive prevention and healthy choices to preschoolers about alcohol, tobacco and drugs in order to address a prevention gap with this age group. The outcome-based program is a complete package with curriculum that involves both children and their families and teaches a non-judgmental, child-centered focus on the child’s healthy choices. The early childcare components are designed to facilitate social and emotional skill building to help children become bigger, stronger and better able to think.

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation and St. Peter's Lutheran School have benefited from implementing Life Skills Curriculum in their respective schools. The evidence-based substance abuse prevention program is proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors.

Life Skills is a comprehensive and dynamic program providing adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations. For younger students, BCSC obtained funds to hire a full-time licensed teacher to teach the Life Skills Curriculum to all 35 fourth-grade classes.

Research has demonstrated that for every dollar spent on implementing the Life Skills program, $45 is saved in future mental health, substance use disorder and criminal justice spending.

One new addition to school Parent Nights was the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer, which provides parents with clues from a teen’s bedroom to help determine whether their child might be experimenting with or using drugs or alcohol. Room décor, hidden compartments and items to conceal use are located throughout the room. Close to 1,000 parents went through trailers present at Parent Night at Columbus North, East and CSA-New Tech high schools and Northside and Central middle schools.

To ensure it is not only teachers who are working with students, but also older students working with younger students, BCSC was also granted funds for Youth Asset Builders, a peer-to-peer mentoring program between North High School students and seventh-graders at Northside Middle School. Youth Asset Builders increases knowledge about substance misuse, depression and anxiety through the asset-driven activities the students complete together.

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Healthy Communities of Columbus Regional Health has created several projects, including three Hidden in Plain Sight backpacks that have been used for trainings to help teachers know what to keep an eye out for with students and at community meetings for parents to learn as well. Similar to the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer, these were designed to teach parents some of the items to look out for with their children.

Healthy Communities also created the Positivity Path collaboration between the Mental Health Action Team and The Healthy Lifestyles Action Team to promote positive messaging about mental health and substance use disorder while encouraging healthy physical activity. The “Path” is a route in Mill Race Park with positive messages displayed on signs that help to encourage and break stigma about mental health and substance use disorder.

Neighborhood and community group education was bolstered by a stipend for those living in recovery to join members of the Healthy Communities Speakers’ Bureau on presentations throughout the community to share their story of addiction and recovery.

These additions have proven valuable in both sharing more information about recovery and the recovery journey, as well as helping to end the stigma of addiction that exists in all communities.