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The continuum of behavioral health services is likened to that of a mighty river. Substance abuse treatment and other acute behavioral health services flow far downstream toward the end of the journey of the long behemoth. In contrast, prevention services lay upstream, at the beginning of the river’s journey, and therefore affect the life course of the river and all that comes into contact with it. Prevention services have the ability to make a tremendous impact at both an individual/personal level as well as within the broader community when prevention programs and services are:

1. Rooted in behavioral health science;
2. Informed by a community’s specific epidemiological reality; and
3. Delivered with fidelity by passionate, qualified professionals.

Investing in evidence-based substance prevention not only decreases the social, economic, and health consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD’s), but also contribute to the development of healthy communities. Substance abuse is among the most expensive public health problems in the United States, costing the national 510.8 billion. High quality prevention services return on their investment. A cost-benefit analysis reported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHA) found that effective school-based programming alone could save an estimated $15-$18 per $1 invested.

HEAPC is a state-accredited prevention agency that is dedicated to the implementation of programs and services that improve the health and wellbeing of the communities within our service area. Our mission to synchronize culture, science, and education to improve health, economic, and social wellbeing transcends every aspect of our work. For more information on specific prevention services offered, please contact HEAPC or download the Prevention Services information sheet.

Prevention Services: Synchronizing Culture & Evidence-Based Practice.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This usually happens when men have 5 or more drinks, or when women have 4 or more drinks of an alcoholic beverage within a two hour period. Binge drinking greatly increases the risk of several health, social, and economic consequences. The consequences are real, potentially devastating, and are felt by the individual, his/her family, and the larger community.

The Winter 2013 edition of the Oyate Eyapahapi Journal of Culture, Science, and Education focuses on binge drinking and its consequences to the individual, his or her family, and the community. The newsletter also includes tips for community members to help prevent binge drinking. It also includes statistics on the prevalence of binge drinking and steps the Oyate Community Center and HEAPC are taking to address this and other problems among youth in our community.

Download the Winter 2013 Oyate Eyapahapi newsletter.

The Community Health and Wellbeing Survey© is an innovative public health resource for collecting representative data on health, health risks, and community perceptions from a population of any size. Whether you are interested in gaining a better understanding of the health status and/or prevalence of specific health conditions within a county, city, tribe, or state, the CHWS can be a powerful tool for quickly and efficiently leveraging the data you need. The CHWS produces representative data that can be used to track progress toward the U.S. Dept. Health and Human Service’s Healthy People 2020 goals as well as data that can be compared to state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicators and SAMHSA’s National Outcome Measures (NOMs).

The CHWS is a versatile instrument that can be tailored to the specific need of each community. The instrument is composed of a core and supplemental questions. Topics covered in the core survey instrument include the following:

• General Health
• Alcohol, Tobacco, & Drug Use
• Civic Participation
• Physical Activity & Nutrition
• Mental Health
• Community Perception
• Health Care Coverage and Access
• Social Support and Trust

For more information about the survey or to request services, contact HEAPC. Details of the Community Health and Wellbeing Survey©

HEAPC's talented evaluation team can help your youth serving organization develop and utilize several tools that can help you identify student needs, improve services, manage and report data on your programs, and demonstrate the impact of your program for grant reporting or for potential donors.

Our team can help with any of the following:

• Develop data collection systems
• Develop student, family, community needs assessments
• Assess progress toward state and national standards
• Assess changes in knowledge, attitude, and behavior
• Strategic planning and logic model development
• Assess risk and protective factors

For more information or to request services, contact HEAPC. Flyer on Evaluation Services for Youth Serving Organizations.