 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Ken Feske, MDiv, Prgram Director Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative Salinas, CA, 546 Lincoln Ave, Salinas, CA 93901, (831)751-7760, kfeske@salinas.k12.ca.us, David Summers, PhD, Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative Salinas, CA, 546 Lincoln Ave., 546 Lincoln Avenue, Salinas, CA 93901, and Maureen Lavengood, Children's Mental Health, Monterey County Health Department, 951-B Blanco Circle, Salinas, CA 93901.
Identifying a prevention approach at local policy level to address violence, substance abuse and community safety. Data is presented from the Salinas, California Safe Schools/Healthy Student Initiative developing a research-focused violence prevention initiative. The initiative featured a policy component to create an integrative framework linking agencies, addressing research and data issues, sustaining outcomes and building capacity for community-level change. Session will examine the role and scope of prevention policy in comprehensive, community interventions.
Initiative created an effective policy-makers body representative of city, county, multiple school boards and business sector that effectively functioned across political domains. Research describes the timeline and efforts to move from implementation and prevention practice to effectively engaging local policy-makers. Presentation will review a set of tools for engaging policy makers including crafting and adopting a series of prevention principles that aid in policy decision-making, a set of policy “prescriptions” isolating needed action in various domains of community mental health, violence, early childhood development. Initiative has identified the role of local policy as it applies to issues of program funding, organizational practices, philosophical commitment and the relationship of policy to community prevention efforts. Lessons include a set of political skills that are beneficial in working with elected officials to advance a prevention agenda: education on value and function of prevention and intervention efforts; creating arena for discussion around political action; bringing appropriate data for understanding and action; maintaining a commitment to prevention in competitive environments; fostering the larger picture of policy and program interaction across political jurisdictions.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.