The Important Role of Prevention

As the nation debates how to best care and pay for the health of our people, the role of prevention is important. Raising the legal drinking age to 21 is just one example of effective prevention. This policy has reduced alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities of young people under 21 substantially.

Substance abuse generates an incalculable expense not only for treatment and related illnesses, but also for lost work productivity, crime, domestic violence, homicide and suicide. The annual cost from alcohol abuse alone is estimated to be $185 billion. Yet we can prevent substance abuse and its associated consequences.

The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) within the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded EDC’s Health and Human Development division a significant contract to lead the new National Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT).

“This is a propitious time when many factors are coming together that point to the great need for and benefits of prevention, as we debate the issues in health reform,” said Cheryl Vince Whitman, EDC Senior Vice President. “And the new CAPT is poised to educate the nation about the value of prevention and improve its effectiveness.”

The new National CAPT and its regional partners will provide training and technical assistance to strengthen planning and delivery of substance abuse prevention and related issues. To do so, we will work with CSAP grantees—states, communities, jurisdictions, and tribes—throughout the country.

Using the public health approach, the new CAPT will work with states to use the best available data to inform and design targeted programs to those at highest risk. Further, a range of web-based e-learning courses and resources will prepare the workforce to use cost effective and efficient ways, credentialing them with new knowledge and skills.

“We will leverage precious resources by sharing products and tools, and reducing costs by uniting under one umbrella organization,” said Vince Whitman.

Now and in the decade ahead there will be inevitable strain on families and communities from the economic downturn and lingering war in the Middle East. Among young people ages 18-25, hit especially hard by high unemployment at rates, alcohol and drug use has increased. Many returning veterans experience mental health issues and are at risk of substance abuse to cope with their physical and emotional pain. For both young and old, the misuse of prescription drugs combined with alcohol or other substances is on the rise. These difficult situations demand new solutions.

Through the shared leadership of CSAP, EDC, and a united system of regional technical assistance teams serving the states, the new CAPT system will place prevention in the forefront of the agenda to promote and protect the nation’s health.