Putting the Spotlight on Prevention: National Prevention Week

May 13, 2019

national prevention week

This week, ACCESS joins Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a coalition of organizations and community partners to celebrate National Prevention Week (NPW) to raise awareness of the importance of preventing substance abuse and promoting mental health all year round.

This year’s theme, “Inspiring Action. Changing Lives,” encourages us to inspire positive change throughout the year by taking small actions every day and everywhere. Whether it is a healthy choice for us or others, we have the ability to change our lives for the better.

According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), adolescents and college students most often use drugs and alcohol for the first time during the summer months of June or July. This week was chosen intentionally because it is near the start of summer, a period of transition for many young people. This period of transition gives schools and community health centers an opportunity to re-focus efforts on prevention and strengthen the bonds between young people and community health providers in order to protect them from substance use, violence and suicide.

This week at ACCESS, we will be participating in community events at three Chicago schools and sharing prevention strategies with the community at the General Consulate of Mexico in Chicago. In addition, our twelve Medicated Assisted Treatment (M.A.T.) program sites will share prevention strategies for families and communities based on the daily topics of the week:

  • May 13: Preventing Prescription and Opioid Drug Misuse
  • May 14: Preventing Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse
  • May 15: Preventing Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Use
  • May 16: Preventing Youth Tobacco Use
  • May 17: Preventing Suicide

 

How You Can to Get Involved:

Join the National Prevention Week Challenge!

  1. Nominate a person as a Prevention Champion who inspires you to make healthier choices.
  2. Post a photo of your Prevention Champion and include one word that best describes how your Prevention Champion inspires you to take action to live a healthier life and practice prevention every day.
  3. Post publicly on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #PreventionChampion and #NPW2019

 

You can find additional resources on behavioral health, substance abuse and more below: