Coalition of the Year Award

MATFORCE is located in Prescott Valley, Arizona and serves around 213,000 people residing within the 8,128 square miles of Yavapai County. The coalition is recognized for implementing a data-driven and successful plan to address underage drinking and youth prescription drug abuse. Listening sessions with youth helped determine that a major source of alcohol for youth was through parties hosted by parents and young adults. As part of their overall strategy, the coalition successfully advocated for the passage of Social Host and Unruly Gathering Ordinances. Partnerships with city council and law enforcement ensured education and enforcement of the ordinances. Data also revealed that some youth were purchasing alcohol at local retail establishments. To address this, MATFORCE brought law enforcement together to implement practice changes across five jurisdictions resulting in the coordination of compliance check efforts to reduce underage alcohol sales. Today, fewer 8th through 12th graders report drinking alcohol in the past 30 days (41 percent in 2006; 32 percent in 2012). Surveys and key informant interviews helped to determine how youth were accessing prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Data highlighted the need to modify prescribing practices and increase home monitoring of unused medications. The coalition collaborated with area hospital systems to change emergency department opioid prescribing policies. Emergency departments now restrict the number of opioid medications dispensed to patients, and opioid medications are only prescribed for acute (not chronic) pain. Also, all medical center staff are now required to register and use the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMP) and the coalition educates physicians and pharmacists on how to use it. Outcomes related to these efforts include a 60 percent increase in the utilization of the PMP by prescribers and dispensers in Yavapai County and fewer 8th through 12th graders have abused prescription drugs in the past 30 days (13 percent in 2008; 9 percent in 2012). VIEW VIDEO

Coalition in Focus Award

Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition is located in Manchester, Tennessee and serves around 53,000 people residing within the 434 square miles of Coffee County. The coalition is recognized for implementing a data-driven and successful plan to address youth prescription drug abuse. Local data revealed that youth most commonly accessed unmonitored, unlocked, and undisposed prescription drugs at home. In addition, students were not being educated at school about the long-term health effects of prescription drug abuse. Close ties with the school system gave the coalition the access needed to educate parents and students about prescription drugs and medication safety. This partnership also helped facilitate the addition of a prescription drug component to the existing health curriculum. Recognizing that increased education would lead to an increase in demand for proper prescription drug disposal, the coalition worked with law enforcement to adopt DEA disposal policies and install permanent prescription drug take-back boxes at each law enforcement office. The coalition promoted proper medication monitoring, storage and disposal through their Count it! Lock it! Drop it! Campaign. Pharmacists and health care providers played a critical role in the effort by implementing policy and practice changes such as discussing medication safety with all clients, and distributing free lock boxes and disposal guides. Within a year, the coalition obtained participation from all 12 pharmacies and over 50 doctors throughout the community. The strong support of the medical community led to the reduction of opioids being prescribed in Coffee County. More community members are locking up and keeping track of prescription medications at home and fewer students are selling or giving away prescription drugs to others. Access has decreased as more 6-12 graders report difficulty in obtaining prescription drugs (63% in 2009 to 77% in 2012) and fewer 6-12 graders have abused prescription drugs in the past 30 days (dropping from 12 percent in 2009 to 6 percent in 2012). VIEW VIDEO

Milestones Award

The Tempe Coalition is located in Tempe, Arizona and serves around 160,000 people residing within the 40 square miles of this city just east of Phoenix. The coalition is recognized for implementing a data-driven and successful plan to address underage drinking. An in-depth community assessment surfaced multiple root causes for underage drinking including availability (social and retail), favorable attitudes and community norms contributing to the problem behavior. Further exploration of their root causes using youth focus groups and other data sources allowed the coalition to pinpoint specific and actionable community conditions. Youth were accessing alcohol at home with and without parental or adult permission. Other students in the community were a significant source of alcohol to their peers both at school and at off-campus at college parties and some youth reported that they were able to purchase alcohol at liquor stores throughout the city. Examples of specific interventions as part of their comprehensive approach to address the issues included the successful enactment of Tempe’s Social Host Ordinance. In fact, Tempe was the first city in the Phoenix metropolitan area to pass the policy. The coalition also engaged in various efforts to educate the community about the dangers of underage drinking. They partnered with Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Public Relations Lab to develop and implement a multi-platform campaign. This campaign included outreach at community events, a pledge program, PSAs, and billboards. The coalition’s combined efforts contributed to drastic changes in youth alcohol availability. For example, fewer youth report getting alcohol from their parents (from 38 percent in 2011-2012 to 17 percent in 2012-2013). Youth perceptions of parental attitudes about their alcohol use have changed with fewer youth reporting their parents would approve of regular alcohol use (from 49 percent in 2010 to 37 percent in 2012). VIEW VIDEO