Florence County (WI) Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse and Mental Health Coalition: Increasing community ca

The ability to reach youth and caregivers by exposing youth to the harms of painkiller abuse and their families increases the impact of the preparing caregivers to recognize the signs of prescription misuse program and fosters an environment for and engage in conversations with their children about drugs. [...] The membership of the coalition is comprised of service providers who live and work in Florence County; their close connection to the community creates an intimate understanding of the priorities and challenges impacting members of the community. [...] The county prioritized mental health and substance use in the 2013 Community Health Assessment process, which resulted in the formation of two separate coalitions—one on mental health and another focused on alcohol and other drug abuse. [...] One coalition member shared that their organization is “so small, and with the coalition [they] are able to specifically focus on AODA and MH issues and reach out to partners to help with specific initiatives.” The coalition’s shared responsibility results from each member having an individual and collective interest in the health of the community that many coalition members call home. [...] The coalition leverages its partnership with the school district to obtain data on the emerging needs of youth with regard to alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health.