Resource Library

The Introduction to the Prevention Core Competencies for Prevention Professionals, covers the foundations of substance use prevention science for early and mid-career prevention professionals. By taking this course, you'll be able to expand your knowledge and skills in the field of prevention and ultimately enhance your ability to make a positive impact in your community.

The curriculum utilizes evidence-based strategies for adult learning; and builds upon and complements existing workforce training curricula and resources (e.g., Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training (SAPST), Foundations of Prevention Science and Practice Curriculum, and Universal Prevention Curriculum).

Join the New England PTTC for a Prevention in Action panel discussion exploring Drug Take Back Day events and related efforts to reduce the illicit use of prescription medications across New England. This webinar will include a spotlight on what coalitions around the region are doing to support drug take-back as well as a presentation from the DEA on their new and ongoing initiatives.

This two-part virtual learning event will look at professional development and certification as key steps for how prevention staff can personally build their skills and a career while remaining up-to-date in the evolving field of substance prevention. We will also identify resources to support individuals with preparation for certification and developing a professional development career plan.

This resource provides a comprehensive examination of the social determinants of health and health disparities in the United States, emphasizing the critical role of prevention science in addressing these complex issues. It outlines key factors contributing to disparities, including harmful marketing practices, disadvantaged schools and communities, inadequate access to healthcare, and the impact of public policy. The text advocates for a holistic approach to prevention science, highlighting the need for research on risk factors, experimental evaluations of prevention programs and policies, and community-driven interventions. By addressing the root causes of health disparities and promoting health equity, this resource offers valuable insights for policymakers, public health professionals, and researchers striving to improve population health outcomes.

Easily access State and Territory Prevention Specialist Certification Requirements with this resource from the PTTC Network Coordinating Office.

Conducting a strong needs assessment is the foundation for developing a successful prevention plan. The Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Data-Informed Decisions Working Group has designed this review sheet to support addressing data gaps through primary data collection. It provides several methods and select resources as a starting point for prevention team’s planning. These methods can involve varied means of data collection, including oral narratives, written text, photographs, video, and others.

Rapidly rising drug overdose rates in the United States during the past three decades underscore the critical need to prevent overdose deaths and reduce the development of opioid and related substance use disorders (SUDs). Traditional public health models of prevention emphasize the biological and physical risks of SUDs, often neglecting to consider the broader environmental and social factors that influence health and well-being. Taking a socioecological approach, the authors aim to illustrate the complex interplay among individual, interpersonal, societal, and structural factors that contribute to the development of SUD and overdose risk. The authors propose evidence-informed strategies and interventions across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. By doing so, the authors hope to encourage policymakers, funders, service providers, and community leaders to broaden their approaches to SUD prevention and consider how they can create and advocate for a health-promoting environment by addressing the social and structural factors that drive rising SUD and overdose trends.

This site will provide information from the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services on the background, helpful considerations and further resources for municipalities participating in the Opioid Abatement Settlement.

The field of public health is not new; it has existed for thousands of years in various forms before being formalized as a professional field.  Given this context, it is not surprising that public health has become a cornerstone of our daily existence.  In this training, participants will learn more in detail about the history of public health, where we are now, and where this field is heading in the future.  Using case studies of how public health response has helped and hurt populations throughout time, the trainers will lead a conversation around how we can continue to push public health to center health and racial equity.  Come prepared to participate!

Attend this session to learn from over 20 years of experience engaging the community, recruiting volunteers, and making connections to support that sustainability of your coalition to make the most out of your valuable time…and theirs!

How to construct, properly word the questions to prevent bias, format and pretest a questionnaire.

This session of the Race and Health Equity Peer Sharing call series was led by Nic Charest, Debra Morris, and Ben Spooner. The focus of this call was on how we can include youth voice in our prevention work.

We heard from two communities on how they’ve involved youth in their prevention work:

• Kara Showers, Youth Coordinator for Wakefield Youth Coalition (Melrose SAPC Cluster); Logan, Wake-Up Youth Action Team
• Jaime Lederer, Director, Community Health Youth Initiatives, Cambridge Health Alliance (Somerville SAPC - Everett Coordinator); Ileissa Ovalle, Everett Youth Coalition

Resources:

• CSPS PowerPoint Slides
• Summary notes
• Folder with notes and slides compiled from all the previous peer sharing calls

Community engagement processes are ongoing relationships between stakeholders, community-based organizations, consumers, residents, local public health, and providers. This tool adapted from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s he Community Engagement Guidelines for Community Health Planning 2017 provides an overview of some of the key elements of community engagement such as power sharing, communication, accommodations, and transparency.

The Racial Equity Data Road Map is a tool toward eliminating structural racism. It's a collection of guiding questions, tools, and resources to assist programs in taking concrete steps to better identify, understand, and act to address racial inequities.

The Racial Equity Toolkit, developed by Dominique Samari and Paul Schmitz, is designed to support backbone staff and partners to operationalize racial equity throughout their collective impact work. Through a mix of personal reflection exercises, conversations, and activities, this toolkit will help teams explore how centering racial equity can advance their strategies, build understanding, strengthen relationships, and support in reaching their collective goals.