Prevention

Prevention

Introduction

Prevention refers to interventions throughout the lifecycle that seek to prevent or delay the onset of substance use and that addresses root causes of underlying struggles. Prevention is the foundational in addressing substance use before the problems being rather than waiting until problems are present. More than education, prevention involves strengthening the health, social and economic factors that can reduce the risk of substance use, including access to health care, housing, education, and employment. 

Membership

Workplan

We invite you to download our 2020-2022 workplan document here.

Terms of Reference

Prevention Pillar Terms of Reference – Objectives
  1. Develop evidence-based programs that focus on the causes and nature of addictions as well as prevention
  2. Investigate a variety of strategies and interventions that help prevention harmful use of alcohol and both legal and illegal drugs.
  3. Investigate and develop prevention intervention to prevention or delay the onset of substance use and address the root cause of addiction.
  4. Increase the skills of staff in schools and youth serving organizations to teach children and youth about the harms of substance use.

Minutes

Major Achievements

Prevention/Treatment Pillar
Initiatives from 2019 to present
  • In partnership with Nipissing 3rd year BScN students during a Winter placement developed an Icelandic Model Fact Sheet for Youth Substance Use Prevention
  • Invested considerable time investigating the Icelandic Model: 
    • Planet Youth Lanark County
    • Core Elements Conference on the Icelandic Model
    • Strategy and Implementation Framework developed by Western Region
    • Updates of the Icelandic Model Power Point
  • In partnership with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit developed an initiative and resources for Post-Secondary Students around Mental Health
  • In partnership with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit developed an initiative and resources for Mental Health for Secondary School students.
  • Completed the following environmental scans in 2020:
    • Scan around Drugs and Alcohol 
    • Scan around Methamphetamines
    • Scan around the use of Naloxone
    • Scans around Needle Syringe programs
    • Scan around Opioid use in Ontario
    • Trends and Patterns in the use of Benzodiazepines in Ontario
  • Promotion of the Time to Talk initiative

Resources pertinent to this Pillar

We invite you to read this document here.