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Georgia Strategic Prevention System
The purpose of Georgia’s SPS comprehensive model is to build capacity and infrastructure within the state, regions, and sub regions through key policy stakeholders and resources mobilization, coalition and workforce development, and research infrastructure enhancement. To ensure long-term sustainability of evidence-based substance use and abuse prevention efforts, OPSP adopted the SAMHSA/CSAP Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) model. 

This comprehensive data-driven model consists of five steps: Needs assessment, Capacity Building and Infrastructure, Strategic Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation─ and two cross-cutting components, Cultural competency and Sustainability. This model requires target communities to develop and implement strategies aimed a population level change using the public health model approach. The public health model for substance abuse prevention focuses on multiple causal factors that influence the problem including, the host (individual), the environment (the social and physical contexts), and the agent (substance or related products). By adopting the SPF process and the public health model, target communities would use a comprehensive approach to develop and implement sustainable outcome-based prevention strategies, which in turn will inform policy development and increase their funding opportunities.

Target Communities
Georgia Communities who have the infrastructure and capacity for local action and committed to learn and apply the SAMHSA/CSAP SPF model in high need areas.

Target Population
Georgia residents between the ages of 9 and 25 years

GASPS Goals

• Goal 1 - Reduce the early onset of alcohol use among 9 - 20 year olds 
• Goal 2 - Reduce access to alcohol and binge drinking among 9 - 20 year olds 
• Goal 3 - Reduce binge and heavy drinking among 18 - 25 years old

For more information visit dbhdd.georgia.gov or www.ga-sps.org

The Technical Assistance Support Center (MSM-TASC)
The Technical Assistance Support Center (MSM-TASC) was initially funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) of Menlo Park, California. The HPRC has also developed a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention model for underserved populations. The primary focus of the diverse projects administered by the HPRC is health promotion and prevention in African-American populations through community-based organizations in both urban and rural communities. The staff of the HPRC has expertise and a vast wealth of experience in implementing and managing off-site projects and programs. The HPRC management and core staff are highly experienced in the field of prevention and evaluation. Since its inception in 1988, HPRC has provided community organizational development, health promotion and prevention services in over 80 of Georgia's 159 counties. The HPRC, together with the Department of Community Health/ Preventive Medicine, not only has access to a vast repertoire of professional expertise, but the facilities, equipment and staff time to partner with national, regional state, and local entities to provide technical services in the field of prevention. The core staff of the HPRC has provided knowledge dissemination, technical assistance, and training related to substance abuse prevention since 1993.

The HPRC serves as a Technical Assistance Support Center (TASC) for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Office of Prevention Services and Programs (DPH/OPSP) Region Four. Under contractual agreements, the TASC primarily supports training, technical assistance and evaluation of prevention programs funded by DPH/OPSP regional offices. The TASC is charged with completing activities related to the development of training and other resource materials in support of regional cross-site evaluation of prevention programs. Regional cross- site evaluation includes the study of adaptations of evidence-based prevention programs for target populations. Further provisions are made for technical assistance and training with all prevention providers, especially those that may struggle with evaluation activities either due to lack of local expertise, resources, or experience. The TASC conducts on-site visits to prevention programs to observe program implementation and assist with data collection activities. The TASC assists prevention providers to determine relevant outcomes that reduce risk and increase protective factors for substance abuse, violence and other at-risk behaviors among target populations.

In its role as the TASC for the DPH/OPSP Regional Offices, the HPRC staff has facilitated the implementation of evidence-based intervention by local providers, conducted community needs assessments in order to assist the regional policy makers set funding priorities, and conducted prevention training and evaluated technology transfer across a diverse group of prevention providers. With limited funding the HPRC/MSM has provided a wide array of prevention services throughout the state.

Building Resilient Youth: A Multidisciplinary Approach ( BRY-AMA)
A $1 million grant award from the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. BRY-AMA e two-year project will build on experience and expertise in helping faith-based and community-based organizations build their capacity to provide prevention services to youth in their local communities. Each of the community organizations will receive more than $140,000 over the 24 month period to implement the model. HPRC team will serve as the intermediary to help five community-based organizations in five counties (Clayton, Lamar, Marion, Jasper and Dougherty). The proposed model will advance juvenile justice and delinquency prevention by offering practical and realistic solutions to providing services in metropolitan and rural communities with few resources. The model also empowers the communities to build long-lasting infrastructure, reliant only to the linkages formed. It teaches communities how to become resourceful in developing linkages."

Compassion Capital Fund (MSM-TASC-CCF)
Created in 2002, the Administration for Children and Families' Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) is a key component of the president's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The primary purpose of CCF is to help faith-based and community organizations increase their effectiveness, enhance their ability to provide social services to serve those most in need, expand their organizations, diversify their funding sources, and create collaborations to better serve those in need. The CCF reflects the administration's recognition that faith-based and community organizations are uniquely situated to partner with the government in serving poor and low-income individuals and families, particularly those with the greatest needs, such as families in poverty, prisoners reentering the community, homeless families, and at-risk youth.

Southwest Cooperative Regional Prevention Resource Center (SWCRPRC)
In 1993, HPRC was awarded a contract by the Human Resource Department, Division of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse, to develop a Prevention Resource Center in Southwest Georgia.  Forty counties in Southwest Georgia (population 850,000) comprised the SWCRPRC service area with regional headquarters in Albany, Georgia.  In 1994, the regional boards assumed governance of state contracts that support SWCRPRC.  The purpose of SWCRPRC is to promote healthy individuals, families and communities in its community service area by minimizing problems related to alcohol, and other drug use, teenage pregnancy and other negative at-risk behaviors of youth through prevention, intervention, education, training and technical assistance in 41 counties in West Central and Southwest Georgia.  Since 1994, the resource center has relocated from Albany to Georgetown and now is stationed in Buena Vista, Georgia.

21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC)
The purpose of this grant is to provide after-school education, prevention and recreational/cultural services for at-risk youth and their families' rural West Georgia counties.  The first program was a five-year project located in Clay, Quitman and Stewart counties (February 2002-June 2007) and the second is located in Lamar County.  Both projects were funded through the Department Of Education to the Georgia Department Of Education.

21st Century CHOICES
21st CenturyCHOICES was an abstinence education program replicated after the Right CHOICES program for elementary- and middle-school students in three rural counties (Clay, Quitman and Stewart). This program was funded through the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. This was a five-year initiative (ending in 2008) that recruited a total of 120 fourth-grade students to receive educational and youth development services.

Project Right CHOICES
Project Right CHOICES, an abstinence education project for 100 elementary-school students in rural Clay County, was funded through the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs.  Clay County is one of 16 counties in Region 9.  This project ended March 15, 2003.

West Central Georgia Practice Improvement Collaborative (WCGPIC)
The WCGPIC was created during a one-year developmental grant (September 30, 1999 through September 29, 2000) from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).  The primary purpose of the WCGPIC was to improve substance abuse services in the 16-county region by increasing the number of programs that use evidence-based treatment modalities and promote and support relevant substance abuse research in Region 9.  The WCGPIC served as a communication vehicle that bridges the communication gap between researchers and providers. HPRC was awarded a three-year cooperative agreement from CSAT for WCGPIC to implement substance abuse research activities.

The Parent Advisory Network (PAC)
Originally funded by the Ford Foundation, HPRC implemented a community-based Parent Education Outreach program with parents as group leaders.  The network was continued and revised with funding through a contract with Georgia DHR.  The current imitative, Parents Advocacy Network (PAN), was operational in one metro county with public health department funding.