Jay's World of Abstracts 00035
Prevention 2000: Moving Effective Programs into Practice
Seven Key Points
from the report of a symposium by the same name
in St. Michaels, Maryland, October 30-31, 2000.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
[Standard disclaimer: The nature of abstracts are that they are pieces of something larger. Not everyone is going to be happy with my choice of abstracts from any larger work, so if you are dissatisfied, I would refer you to the original document, which should be able to be found on the Internet. I encourage others to make their own abstracts to satisfy their needs. I would be happy to publish them here.
Jay's Introduction
I actually stumbled upon this while looking for something else. This is an very meaty document and may fill out several abstracts!
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored this gathering of experts in prevention to discuss what needed to happen to make programs happen in communities. It is interesting to see "big" people struggling with the smae concerns that we face!
I produced this abstract using time paid for by the Quay County Maternal Child and Community Health Council with funds from the New Mexico Department of Health.
Abstracts
Participants at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Prevention 2000: Moving Effective Prevention
Programs into Practice identified a range of conclusions and recommendations for advancing the prevention
of alcohol, tobacco and other drug problems in the United States. These findings, synthesized from the
two days of presentations and discussion and summarized below, center on seven key points that can be
addressed at the federal, state and local levels:
- blend school-based and community prevention efforts to effect
environmental change. Community-wide approaches that involve broad participation of
all sectors in the development of prevention efforts, including individually focused and environmental
and policy focused, are needed.
- link prevention programs with the primary mission of schools:
academics. Prevention efforts at schools need to be more fully integrated with academic curricula.
The case needs to be made that time spent in schools on prevention programs contributes to
academic success.
- integrate prevention resource systems to support prevention
efforts. A more integrated approach that crosses disciplines and agencies is needed to maximize
available resources. A less categorical approach to prevention is needed in order to address common risk
factors. Prevention is about systems and strategies, not more discrete programs.
- forge agreement on what is to be prevented as a foundation
for program design. Standards for definitions and terms across prevention disciplines need
to be developed in order to avoid contributing to confusion in those looking for guidance.
- employ new technologies to support prevention. Technologies are now
available to both reach individuals with prevention messages as well as disseminate information on
evidence-based prevention to help communities develop prevention efforts.
- increase funding, training and support for prevention
researchers and practitioners. Prevention works, but questions remain about both
what works best in prevention and how communities can implement effective prevention activities.
learn what practitioners, including teachers, are doing at
ground level. Because of the likelihood that practitioners consider program components to be
fungible, it is important to know more about which components are essential and in what combinations.