GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence Award Winners 2015
Healthy Communities that Care Coalition of Livingston County – Coalition in Focus 2015
Healthy Communities that Care Coalition of Livingston County is located in Geneseo, New York and serves 65,393 people within a 622-square mile radius. The coalition is recognized for implementing a data-driven and successful plan to address youth substance abuse. Local data revealed that youth have both easy social and retail access to alcohol. In an effort to reduce the level of access to alcohol, and therefore the frequency and intensity of underage drinking, the Healthy Communities that Care Coalition of Livingston County (HCTC) has partnered with the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and the Geneseo Police Department to educate community members and motivate change through training programs and strict enforcement ID checks by alcohol retailers.
Additionally, the HCTC has partnered with all Livingston County schools and SUNY Geneseo College to administer surveys and implement programs such as Project Sticker Shock. Above the Influence and retailer scans are also used to promote safe practices, minimize underage consumption, and decrease easy access in Livingston County. Civic groups like the Livingston County Rotary and Kiwanis work with local youth populations and host community presentations regarding the risks of underage drinking.
HCTC provides a wide range of focus groups, youth development programs, and community needs assessments to help lower underage drinking within Livingston County. In a survey administered in 2014, 42% of middle school and high school aged students reported easy or very easy access to alcohol – down 7% from 2004. Furthermore, another survey administered in 2014 found that 16% of participants reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days, down from 29% in 2004. These data indicate that the efforts of the Healthy Communities that Care Coalition have proven to be effective in reducing youth alcohol availability and underage consumption through education, community involvement, and stricter law enforcement.
Hernando Community Coalition – Coalition of the Year 2015
Hernando Community Coalition is located in Spring Hill, Florida and serves 175,885 residing within a 472-square mile radius of Hernando County. The coalition is recognized for implementing a data-driven and successful plan to address several specific target areas: underage drinking, tobacco use, and prescription drug abuse.
The Hernando Community Coalition aims to reduce underage access to alcohol and underage consumption. Data collected in 2014 revealed that 88.2% of alcohol vendors were compliant with performing valid ID checks - a 4.5% increase from 2011. In addition, past 30-day use rates dropped 8.5% and episodes of binge drinking in middle school and high school populations fell by 6.2%.
Another target area for the Hernando Community Coalition is reducing youth tobacco use. 977 teens were referred for tobacco education from 2010-2015 and all school campuses were declared to be tobacco free in 2015. Smoking in middle and high schoolers fell by 4.4%.
Finally, the Hernando Community Coalition targeted a comprehensive community-level reduction in prescription drug abuse. One of the most successful strategies used in order to reduce prescription drug abuse in youth populations was the “Lock It Up” campaign. A media campaign urged adults to secure their prescription medication and lockboxes were distributed. Educational materials were distributed to youth at community events and advertisements in the Chamber of Commerce newsletter reached 10,000 residents, urging adults to lock up their medication. In total, prescription drug abuse prevention information has been provided to 6,000 youth and 9,000 adults.
These data confirm that the work of the Hernando Community Coalition has played a role in helping to reduce easy access and underage consumption of alcohol, underage tobacco use, and prescription drug abuse in middle school and high school populations throughout their community.
