The substance use landscape regularly experiences changes in the demand and supply of substances, the relative importance of various risk and protective factors, and the impacts of the social determinants of health. Prevention professionals should be able to identify and understand these changes so that they can adjust service delivery as needed. Relative changes in substance use patterns, or the causes behind use, can lead to a re-prioritization of key prevention activities. However, prevention professionals must balance these potential re- prioritizations with ensuring that they continue to address core, underlying prevention needs. This three-part webinar series will provide an overview of emerging drug trends in the United States, with a focus on the Central East region, explain what is known about the causes behind these trends, and discuss potential implications for the prevention field. It will also discuss how prevention professionals can incorporate addressing emerging trends into their existing workflow.
This webinar will discuss the importance of using needs assessments to identify and prioritize emerging trends. It will describe the key steps to implementing a needs assessment and review opportunities to overcome challenges. The webinar will also examine various prioritization techniques to determine the relevance and importance of emerging trends. Additionally, the webinar will provide a step-by-step walkthrough of how to address emerging trends through the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). Lastly, the webinar will also explain how substance use prevention should be and is a critical part of a public health approach. As part of this discussion, it will describe public health approach best practices that can help address emerging substance use trends.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: