The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) has selected the Minnesota Institute of Public Health as the contractor for the Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT). Five such grants have been awarded throughout the United States. This is part of the federal Youth Substance Abuse Prevention initiative lead by DHHS Secretary Donna Shalala. The Minnesota Institute of Public Health will serve as the contractor for this three year, $3 million initiative serving ten central states and the Red Lake Nation.
The states to be served in addition to Minnesota are North and South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia.
In partnership with public and private organizations involved in alcohol, tobacco and drug use prevention, MIPH submitted a proposal and was selected as a semi-finalist in August. On August 26, the federal site visit staff spent the day at the Minnesota Institute offices. A month later, MIPH received a preliminary notice of the grant.
The major purpose of the CAPT is to apply research-based and proven prevention technologies and strategies that reduce alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse problems within states of the central region. A primary “client” of the CAPT will be the State Incentive Grantees (SIGs) and their subrecipients. The SIGs initiative will be routed through the governors’ offices in selected states in order to improve and coordinate prevention efforts. SIGs have not been selected as of the writing of this article.
The CAPT centers will work to take research-based materials and strategies “off the shelf,” and customize them to meet local conditions rather than to create new programs. Jerry Jaker, MIPH President and project director for the CAPT initiative, will serve as a member of the Federal CAPT Steering Committee. Jaker said, “We have a real chance to apply proven prevention strategies, programs, policies and initiative customized for each state within our central region. There are over 52 million people in the region and this is such an unprecedented opportunity.” Tom Griffin, MIPH Vice President and Internal Evaluator for this project, agreed. “The prevention literature is increasingly helpful in identifying and highlighting programs that are effective. We’re getting better at knowing what strategies are likely to have a positive impact,” said Griffin.
In addition to state prevention offices within the region, other MIPH partners in the CAPT grant include the Red Lake Nation, the Health Care Coalition on Violence, INTER-RACE, Search Institute, Faith Partners, the University of Minnesota, Metronet, Minnesota Medical Association, the Council for Preventive Medicine, CLUES, United Cambodian Association of Minnesota, Lao Family Services, and African American Family Services.
By any measure, it is a credit to the State of Minnesota and its citizens that we have been selected for a leadership role in this important prevention initiative.