Center for Strategic Prevention Support (CSPS)

Challenge

Opioid misuse and overdoses pose a significant public health crisis—one that is being exacerbated by COVID-19. And while substance misuse prevention programs that address the causes of addiction are a key factor in stemming the crisis, few prevention practitioners have the training, support, and tools they need to effectively use these programs.

With funding from the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), EDC’s Center for Strategic Prevention Support (CSPS) guides practitioners in using evidence-based programs to prevent and address opioid misuse. CSPS matches expert technical assistance providers who are well-versed in SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework process with communities in need. The result is a collaborative partnership to improve public health that engages practitioners, community partners, and CSPS staff.

Key Activities

CSPS offers support and consultation to state-funded, community-based initiatives, including the Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative and Massachusetts Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative grantees. The program’s activities include the following:

Organize an annual statewide substance misuse prevention conference
Provide training and technical assistance to 61 substance misuse prevention grantees doing prevention work in 169 cities and towns in Massachusetts
Identify the professional development needs of prevention practitioners throughout the state
Virtually convene prevention coordinators every month to provide support and foster peer learning and problem-solving
Create interactive online tools, including a communications toolkit for prevention workers, to help communities do more effective prevention work

Impact

In 2020, 200 health and prevention professionals working to reduce opioid, alcohol, and other drug misuse in communities across the Commonwealth participated in the Massachusetts Statewide Prevention Conference