PURPOSE

To conduct a community planning process to establish a multi-disciplinary substance abuse prevention through intervention continuum of care for residents of Siskiyou County.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1. Establish a coalition of 10-20 stakeholders to oversee the planning process. Establish goals, objectives, monthly meeting schedules, decision-making processes, responsibilities, and commitments to active participation. The coalition will include repreisentatives from: local tribes, consumers, youth, Siskiyou Health Partnership, family resource centers, tribal health, community clinics, hospitals, private clinicians, unions, County Behavioral Health, Public Health, Human Services, Child Protective Services, Board of Supervisors, law enforcement, Superior Court, education, businesses, and the faith community. A Project Consultant, under the direction of the CSC Executive Director and with help from a Project Assistant will coordinate and facilitate the coalition and the activities of the planning process.
2. Identify and review best practices implemented in other rural communities that result in increased access to coordinated and comprehensive prevention and intervention services. Identify and meet with at least 2 substance abuse coalitions to document successes, challenges and lessons learned.
3. Conduct 6 focus groups with community members in coordination with 9 FRCs to identify unmet health needs, service gaps, barriers to accessing existing services, and recommendations for new services. Conduct one-on-one interviews with at least 100 people in recovery to determine utilization and perceptions of services, barriers to access, and recommendations for additional prevention, intervention and support services.
4. Conduct 20 key informant interviews with health professionals, community service providers, county department directors and elected officials to provide input on existing services, utilization, eligibility, costs, gaps, policies and regulations challenges and opportunities, funding reallocation opportunities, and areas of potential collaboration and linkages.
5. Conduct an analysis of local, state, and federal public policy issues and funding trends for substance abuse prevention and intervention.
6. Produce a written report, approved by the coalition and CSC Board that summarizes input from research and interviews; makes recommendations regarding improvements to existing programs, options for new services, areas of collaboration, and elimination of barriers to access; analyzes how funding and policy trends can affect program development and sustainability; includes an action plan and timeline for implementing recommendations.
7. Identify appropriate strategies to advocate for funding, policy and systems changes necessary for effective implementation of action plan.
8. Identify, define and assign roles and responsibilities across systems for successful plan implementation, including additional planning, funding and training to assure successful, long-term implementation.