Regional Spotlight: Substance Misuse Prevention Programs

CHNA 20 is well known as a connecting agency in the Blue Hills Region. Recently, we’ve been recognized widely for our efforts to direct the Blue Hills Regional Coordinating Council, as well as our work to support local partner agencies in their COVID response protocols. But many of our daily engagements in the community are less visible -- yet they’re a critical part of our mission. In our new blog series, we’ll be sharing more about how CHNA 20’s presence on local and regional task forces, committees and planning councils helps shape public health improvements in the Blue Hills.

What’s the community project, and what is the CHNA’s role?

The CHNA participates in a number of regional Substance Misuse Prevention Programs through a variety of means. In this post, we’re highlighting several ongoing prevention projects and initiatives in the Blue Hills Region.

Impact Quincy

Impact Quincy was established in 1991 as an initiative of the Prevention Department at Bay State Community Services. This community coalition of diverse stakeholders delivers a wide range of substance misuse programming. Focusing on the strengthening of communication and relationships, Impact Quincy encourages citizen participation in substance misuse prevention efforts through community collaboratives that sustain and promote healthy living. The Impact Quincy model is an excellent regional example of SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework in action.

Three major substance misuse prevention programs operate under the Impact Quincy umbrella:

  • MA Opioid Abuse Prevention Coalition (MOAPC) -- One of 114 statewide MOAPC programs supported through the Massachusetts DPH Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). MOAPC is a community collaboration between the municipalities of Quincy, Braintree, Randolph, Stoughton, and Weymouth. This cluster of towns and cities gathers community members and concerned citizens to work together on addressing the misuse of opioids in the area. The group also focuses on prevention of opioid overdoses through community-level policy, practice, and systems change.

  • Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (SAPC) -- A MA DPH BSAS grant program preventing substance misuse and promoting healthy habits among youth. The communities of Milton, Braintree, Quincy and Weymouth partner on the SAPC to ensure healthy futures for young people in the region.

  • Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) -- This third BSAS funded program aims to reduce and prevent fatal and non-fatal overdose for individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in the Quincy Area. In collaboration with community partners, OD2A provides outreach; education on overdose prevention, response and naloxone; connects individuals to treatment and other resources; and offers continued support to those in need.

Greater Boston Tobacco Free Community Partnership

The Greater Boston Tobacco Free Community Partnership (GBTFCP) is a hosted program of Bay State Community Services’ Prevention Department. The GBTFCP offers technical assistance to 56 cities and towns in MA to aid them in preventing tobacco use among residents. Tobacco-Free Community Partnerships, funded by the MA Tobacco Cessation and Prevention program, support community efforts to help residents quit using tobacco, prevent youth from starting tobacco use, and protect people from the adverse health impacts of secondhand smoke.
The GBTFCP works to pass local regulations to decrease access to tobacco products by minors. The partnership’s work prioritizes racial justice and community health, partnering with local stakeholders to fight the tobacco and vaping industry’s history of unjustly targeting specific groups.

In addition to these efforts hosted by Bay State Community Services’ Prevention Department, there are numerous municipal Substance Abuse/Misuse Prevention Programs throughout the Blue Hills. Click through to the websites listed below to find out more about what’s happening in your community.

Municipal Substance Use Prevention Efforts

The CHNA has been instrumental to ongoing substance misuse prevention work in the Blue Hills region, offering both financial and organizational support to various initiatives over the years. In 2015, CHNA 20 offered up to $1,500 for start-up funds for newly created Substance Misuse Prevention organizations, providing much-needed financial assistance to organizations that would not otherwise be eligible for funding due to their fledgling status. CHNA 20 also provided technical assistance to some of the groups to help with coalition-building, community engagement, capacity building and data collection efforts. The Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, recipient of a coveted Drug-Free Communities federal grant, got its start through this funding and ongoing technical support from the Blue Hills Community Health Alliance.

Our work in this area continues through our participation in various community coalitions advancing substance misuse prevention in our region. CHNA 20 currently serves on both the MOAPC and SAPC coalitions and takes an active role in supporting prevention efforts throughout the Blue Hills. We’re particularly interested in continuing to address social determinants of health through intersectional approaches to programming, such as the GBTFCP’s commitment to racial justice as a central tenet of tobacco use prevention.

How can I, or my organization, get involved with this community effort?

For more information about the SAPC , MOAPC or OD2A efforts led by Bay State Community Services, contact Briana Keating. For information about the Greater Boston Tobacco Free Community Partnership, email Mary Cole.

If you’re interested in more general information about various substance misuse prevention programs in our region, the following resources may help: