Community Convening Guide: Substance Use Prevention, Screening, and Early Intervention

A key objective of Facing Addiction’s Action Agenda is to spread the awareness and adoption of youth prevention activities in your communities, examples of which include evidence-based prevention programming highlighted in the 2016 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health; as well as SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment) into new settings such as primary care/pediatricians, educational institutions, and community-based health clinics.

To accomplish this goal, Facing Addiction has produced this community convening guide that will provide organizing tools and amplification support for community forums held on this critical issue across the country in 2017 and beyond. The local forums will focus on the importance and urgency of implementing and scaling the use of evidence-based prevention practices, screening, and early intervention in local communities.

The guide will:

• Provide an outline for organizing a forum in your community to promote effective youth prevention programs
• Demonstrate the necessity and efficacy of evidence-based prevention practices
• Underscore the necessity of SBIRT programming, citing both the latest research as well as examples of successful program implementation

This guide may be used by any community group or organization that wants to raise awareness of, and work toward implementing, these practices to address substance use issues and prevent addiction.