Reviewing the process of strategic planning for substance abuse prevention and control programs: A Los Angeles case study

The 2011-2016 Strategic Plan for the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) is the first strategic plan created for this administrative group within the Department. The need for the development of this strategic plan has resulted from the variety of unprecedented changes taking place in the field of alcohol and other drugs (AOD). SAPC has been involved with AOD services in Los Angeles County for 30 years, although in the past worked with already existing practices and untested assumptions. However, with the rapidly emerging changes of the field, this is no longer a suitable plan. In the emerging environment of Health Care Reform (HCR), the process of strategic planning for AOD programs is now an urgent need as HCR presents new challenges for community access to substance abuse treatment. SAPC created its 2011-2016 Strategic Plan in order to be prepared to take full advantage of the changing health care environment, as it relates to substance abuse treatment. We discuss the theoretical framework for the strategic planning process, while explaining the process of strategic planning as it applies to the AOD field, finally analyzing current plans and processes for implementation and evaluation as part of the SAPC strategic planning cycle of the future.