PA Stop opiate abuse campaign expands to combat prescription drug abuse and potential heroin use in PA.
The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance (CPA), a private non-profit whose mission is to support prevention professionals in eliminating substance abuse and risk-related behaviors, is proud to announce the expansion of the STOP Opiate Abuse Campaign, launched statewide September 21, 2015. Now in its fourth year, the campaign has awarded 19 “mini-grants” to organizations and county drug and alcohol agencies that presented compelling plans to utilize funds to distribute PA Stop messaging.
This new campaign initiative aims to continue the growing efforts to stop prescription drug abuse, which can lead to addiction, heroin use and overdose. Materials can be found here at pastop.org, where parents, caregivers and other concerned individuals are encouraged to download information to educate the public.
“In addition to the free downloadable media materials, our goal has been to provide a step-by-step guide and funding to develop successful media campaigns in varied areas across the state,” said Debra Davis Fye, President, Commonwealth Prevention Alliance. “This year the campaign utilized funding to award 19 mini-grants of $8,000 each to grantees who developed plans using the Next Steps Toolkit. These grantees include counties, coalitions, agencies and colleges that represent rural and urban areas in 26 counties throughout the Commonwealth. We believe these unified efforts will prevent further opiate abuse and help to end this epidemic of addiction and overdose.”
This concerted effort to improve the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians is made possible by a grant from the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency. To create the STOP Opiate Abuse Campaign, the CPA Board of Directors partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission, BOOM Creative (Pittsburgh, PA), The Institute for Research, Training and Education in Addictions (IRETA) (Pittsburgh, PA), and HPW Associates (Pittsburgh, PA).
The 2018 PA Stop mini-grant recipients listed by region:
Southeast: Bucks Co. Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc., Delaware County Division of Drug and Alcohol, Council Rocks, Communities That Care, Chester County Drug and Alcohol Commission
Northeast: Center for Humanistic Change, Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Hazelton Communities That Care, Carbon Monroe Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission
Central: Juniata County Prevention Board, Healthy Communities Partnership, GOAL Project, the Center for Community Youth and Development, Cambria County Drug Coalition
West: Armstrong Indiana Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission, Duquesne University, Mercer County Communities That Care, Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Butler Drug and Alcohol Commission, the State System of Higher Education Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Coalition
“Misuse of prescription drugs among college students has become a significant concern, so the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Alcohol and Other Drug Coalition is very pleased to have been chosen to receive a mini-grant to bring PA STOP messages to the over 100,000 students attending their 14 state universities,” said Donna George, California University of PA Coordinator, State System of Higher Education Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Coalition. “We are especially excited to utilize the new ‘‘Care Enough Not to Share’ and ‘Don’t Add to the Numbers’ messaging created this year that specifically address prescription drug sharing among college students who most often obtain prescription drugs intended for nonmedical use from friends and family. This messaging will be delivered primarily through social media, which is where our population spends a lot of their time. We are grateful for this opportunity to spread the campaign’s incredibly valuable and relevant messages.”
Campaign media products include print ads, brochures, flyers, posters, web ads, audio and video public service announcements, transit stop ads, fact sheets, billboards and an informational tool kit that have all been approved for use by the PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. These materials will be available for use throughout 2018 here and here.
“Every week we see more and more tragedies in our communities relating to the scourge of opiates and heroin,’ said Bob Curry, Hazleton Communities That Care (CTC) Mobilizer. The toll in human lives and broken families has been inestimable. The PA STOP grant is going to have a major impact on shining a light on the problem and bringing hope to the thousands of people suffering because of this epidemic. Our Hazleton CTC Coalition is convinced that this grant will be an invaluable asset in the fight against addiction in our region.”