Communities that Care North Township Brochure

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID One of the programs that CTC will offer to help our communities is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

This is a ground-breaking course that helps people identify, understand, and respond to individuals experiencing signs of mental illness and substance use disorders.

Mental Health First Aid was developed to help members of the community support an individual developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

MHFA is recommended for people working with the public (nurses, teachers, public welfare workers, law enforcement, etc.) as well as consumers, families or anyone who wants to learn more about mental health.

Mental Health First Aid is a public education program which introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of the importance of early intervention, and most importantly teaches individuals how to help those in crisis or experiencing a mental health or substance abuse challenge. Mental Health First Aid uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis; selects Interventions, provides initial help; and connects people to professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

Geminus Prevention

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Communities that Care is a coalition-based community prevention operating system that es a public health approach to prevent youth problem behaviors including underage drinking, tobacco use, violence, delinquency, school dropout rate and substance abuse.

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Ultimately, the beneficiaries of Communities that Care are children of any age in the community. CTC helps decision-makers in the community select and implement tested, effective prevention policies and programs to address the most pressing risks facing their youth.

communities THAT CARE North Township Highland, Munster, Hammond, Whiting Albert Gay - Project Coordinator (219) 757-1836 albert.gay@geminus.org

CTC guides the community coalition through an assessment and prioritization process that identifies the risk and protective factors most in need of attention, and then links those priorities to prevention programs that are proven to work in addressing them.

“Funding for this program was provided by SAMHSA SAPT Block Grant CFDA 93.959 through FSSA/Division of Mental Health and Addiction.�

PREVENTION

8400 Louisiana Street Merrillville, Indiana 46410 info@geminus.org

www.geminus.org

219-757-1800

North Township (Highland, Munster, Hammond, Whiting)

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Program Content:

Core Components:

CTC activities are planned and carried out by the CTC Community Board, a prevention coalition of community stakeholders who work together to promote positive youth outcomes.

Community coalition of key stakeholders concerned with the heath and well-being of the community’s youth.

Board members participate in CTC training workshops in which they build their coalition and learn the skills needed to install the CTC system.

CTC Youth Survey administered for students in grades 6 to 12. Our programs learn directly from the youth themselves about risk factors and needs in the communities geared towards youth behaviors.

COMMUNITIES THAT CARE IS INSTALLED IN A COMMUNITY THROUGH A FIVE-PHASE PROCESS IMPLEMENTED OVER A 1-2 YEAR PERIOD

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implement Get Ready Assessing community readiness to undertake collaborative prevention efforts;

Get Organized Getting a commitment to the CTC process from community leaders and forming a diverse and representative prevention coalition;

Develop a Profile Using epidemiologic data to assess prevention needs;

Create a Plan Choosing tested and effective prevention policies, practices and programs based on assessment data;

Implement and Evaluate Implementing the new strategies with fidelity, in a manner congruent with the program’s theory, content, and methods of delivery, and evaluating progress over time.

Program Outcomes: Results from a 7-state experimental trial involving 24 communities show that within 4 years of adopting the CTC system, community coalitions can reduce the incidence of delinquent behaviors and of alcohol, tobacco, and smokeless tobacco use as well as the prevalence of alcohol use, binge drinking, smokeless tobacco use and delinquent behavior among young people community-wide by the spring of grade 8.

Exposure to targeted risk factors increased less rapidly in CTC than in controlled communities.

Initiation of substance use and delinquency by the end of 8th grade compared to students in the control Communities showed that students from CTC communities were: 24% less likely to initiate delinquent behaviors, 32% less likely to initiate the use of alcohol, 33% less likely to initiate cigarette use and 33% less likely to initiate the use of smokeless tobacco.

Substance use: By 8th grade, compared to students in the control communities, students from CTC communities were: 23% less likely to use alcohol in the past 30 days, 49% less likely to use smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days and 37% less likely to have engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks.

Delinquent behaviors: In 8th grade, students from the CTC communities: committed 31% fewer delinquent behaviors than students in the control communities.

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Phase Process

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