1. DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Partnering with the Community in Substance Use Prevention: A Critical Relationship
DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
DBH
Julie Lane, MPH, CHES, CPS; Yasir Shah, MPH, CPS;
Rebecca Perry, MSc; Toussaint Tingling-Clemmons, CPS; Robert Smith, CPS

2. Who Is In our Room Today? How many people ate breakfast this morning?
How many people are planning to go trick or treating this evening?
How many people know who Kush the Dog is?
How many people know that marijuana is legal for adults to consume (privately) in the District?
How many people know that synthetic marijuana (K2, fake weed) is illegal in the District?
How many people work directly on some aspect of substance use and abuse?
How many people know of innovative solutions to address current community challenges?
How many people would leave their day jobs today if they won the lottery?

3. Why did you join today’s presentation?
I am a practitioner and am looking for evidence-based tools to improve my ability to engage and collaborate with my community in program development and planning.
I want to meet other individuals who are working with the community in substance use prevention.
I want to learn more about a potential ways to engage culturally-diverse communities in prevention planning.
I want to learn about substance use prevention that is taking place in my community.

4. Presentation Overview
Background on the Partnership for Success (PFS) Grant
What is a DC Community Conversation?
Examples of DC Community Conversations
Opportunities for Dialogue

5. Background on PFS
The Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success (SPF-PFS) program aims to address two of the top substance abuse prevention priorities identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
Underage drinking (age 12 to 20) and
Prescription drug misuse (age 12 to 25).
Grantees MUST target 1 of those two priorities (or both) and may also choose an additional target
(e.g. marijuana)

6. The District of Columbia Youth Substance Use Prevention Workforce

7. District Prevention Centers and their Partners
– Latin American Youth Center
(LAYC)
– National Capital Coalition to
Prevent Underage Drinking
(NCCPUD)
– Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY)
– Bridging Resources In
Communities Inc. (BRIC)
NCCPUD
National Capital Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking

8. What is a DC Community Conversation?

9. Definition
A DC Community Conversation is an interactive discussion with community members: 1) to help DC Prevention Centers (DCPCs) gather local conditions information about substance use related root causes; and 2) to assess related community readiness and resources.

10. Purpose of DC Community Conversations
But why here?
Source:

11. DC Community Conversation Characteristics
Type of participatory research method
Balance community engagement with fact-finding
Focus on common themes & dissimilarities in perceptions and experiences
Which community members have shared ideas, concerns, and information and which have not
Held in convenient community settings
Can be integrated with other community events such as films, panels, and presentations

12. Focus of DC Community Conversations
Core Topics:
Consumption patterns for alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs
Consequences of substance use and abuse in your community
Geographic or target population differences
Risk and protective factors that influence substance use
Prevention resources and infrastructure

13. Types of Community Conversations
Small-group discussions
(Focus Group)
Town hall meetings
One-on-one interviews

14. Community Conversation Requirement
Under the DBH grants is:
Grantee Type
# of Community Conversations
DCPC Directors 4*
1 per quarter
PFS Coordinators 4
High Need Community Grantees 2
2 per year
* Requirement for the Block grant and not the PFS grant

15. Creating a DC Community Conversation Toolbox
Community Conversation protocol workbook
Epidemiological data
Risk and protective factors spreadsheet
Report template
With a selection of questions
Sample report

16. Steps to Conduct a DC Community Conversation
Identify the Data Gap
Use your source data to identify a data gap
Look at the data and ask “Who?,” “Where?,” and “But why here?”
Consider What Audiences/Populations Can Fill that Data Gap
Determine the Community Conversation Format
Select Questions to Ask

17. Steps to Conduct a DC Community Conversation (cont).
Strategically Invite the Audience
Determine the best way to identify, engage, and invite the audience
Record Community Feedback
Report Community Feedback

18. How DC PFS Grantees Use DC Community Conversation Data

19. Tying DC Community Conversation Data to the Logic Model

20. Example 1 from Wards 5 & 6 Problem
Youth in Ward 5 have higher perceived risk of binge drinking and marijuana use than Ward 6.
Avg. age of 1st use for alcohol is 12.8 yrs. Ward 5 & 13.3 yrs. Ward 6.
Avg. age of 1st use for marijuana is 13.0 yrs. Ward 5 is 13.0 yrs. &13.6 yrs. Ward 6.
Community Conversation Format
Small group discussion format - Focus Group with 5 teens living in transitional housing in Ward 5.
Community Conversation
Topics
Risk/protective factors related to consumption and consequences for youth
Youth consumption patterns and access to marijuana and alcohol
Key Data
Families and societal norms condones youth alcohol use.
Youth access alcohol from older relatives.
Youth access marijuana within their households.
Youth perceive marijuana consumption to be a community norm.
Prevention Strategies
Considered
Increase parental and community awareness, engagement and education about the risk of youth substance use.
Engage and educate alcohol retailers about youth alcohol purchasing and consumption patterns.

21. Example 2 from Wards 7 & 8 Problem
Rise in synthetic marijuana use in DC
Community Conversation Format
Small group format with youth, local law enforcement representatives, and community leaders
Community Conversation
Topics
Consumption patterns for other drugs
Consequences of substance use and abuse in your community
Key Data
Synthetic marijuana was being sold at a number of local convenient stores despite a ban on sales in the District.
Criminal consequences for the sale of synthetic marijuana was not a satisfactory deterrent.
Prevention Strategies
Adopted
DC launched the Right Choice campaign with District business regulators to increase the punishment of selling synthetic marijuana (losing one’s business license).

22. Opportunities for Dialogue
In what ways have DC community conversations been used as a catalyst to educate a community?
How do DC’s PFS coordinators ensure their community conversations are culturally relevant?
When conducting community conversations, how do DC PFS coordinators balance community engagement with data collection?
What have been the biggest challenges DC PFS coordinators have faced using DC community conversations as a substance use data collection methodology?

23. Opportunities for Dialogue (cont.)
How can you learn more about substance use prevention in the District?
Access Helpline: Hotline for a Mental Health & Drug Crises
Accessible 24/7
Request a Drugs & Alcohol Prevention Presentation with 10 business days advanced notice via to
Order Drug/Alcohol Prevention educational print materials online or via to
DBH’s DC Drug Free Youth DC social media
Twitter and

24. Opportunities for Dialogue (cont.)
How can you learn more about online substance use prevention data in the District?
New Factsheets are available!  A summary of the data sources used to develop the fact sheets is below and you may also go to the data and reports website to access these factsheets using the link:
An Interactive Data Dashboard that provides instant access to a variety of data related to District of Columbia's youth and young adult substance use. A summary of dashboard functions is below and you may access the dashboard using this link: 

25. Acknowledgements
Thank you to the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health, the District of Columbia Prevention Centers, and other RTI International colleagues.

26. Contact Information
For any additional questions, please contact:
For questions about the DC PFS Evaluation or Community Conversations, please contact:
Stephanie Hawkins Rebecca Perry
Evaluation Project Director Community Conversation lead
DC PFS Grant DC PFS Grant