Prevention Lead Organization Region 1 Update

8/3/2021

Youth Services System, Inc. (YSS) is designated as the Region 1 Prevention Lead Organization for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Behavioral Health, providing prevention and early intervention services in Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties, the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

This year, the YSS Prevention Department team delivered comprehensive evidence-based community universal prevention within identified strategies and with representation from identified sectors. Highlights of this work include having more than 300 individuals participate in a Discover Recovery event and the Faith Team’s plans for special services and a rally for WV Day of Hope in September 2021, an annual event that brings awareness and support for those with a substance use disorder and those in recovery.

YSS coordinated the implementation of evidence-based universal prevention education as well as selective and indicated prevention education targeting high-risk youth aged 9-20 in schools throughout the region. We executed strategies to reduce stigma associated with opioid use disorder and medication-assisted treatment, increasing access to prevention, treatment & recovery services and preventing opioid-related overdose in identified high-risk populations.

We promoted participation in the Overdose Alert public health communication system, provided naloxone administration training and disseminated naloxone kits to increase access to naloxone, preventing opioid-related overdose. We also increased access to Rx drug disposal by promoting permanent drug drop box locations, participating in national Rx Take Back Days, and disseminated Deterra Drug Deactivation System kits, which decrease Rx drug abuse. Currently, a special committee is planning to operate four drive-thru naloxone distribution sites for Save a Life Day September 1, 2021.

Lastly, our team has provided opportunities for prevention education. Our Women’s Network committee targeted service providers throughout the region and provided certification training in the evidence-based 1 Key Question Framework to increase access to family planning services, reducing substance-exposed pregnancies. Well over one hundred participants from twelve states and three countries attended the Pathways to Prevention Summit in June, highlighting how many around the world are committed to the cause of prevention.

Contact Information

Dori Pond- dpond@ysswv.com