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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08152000 - P1 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,CALIFORNIA Adapted this Order on August 15, 2000 by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Gioia, Uilkema, Canciamilla and Gerber NOES: None ABSENT: Supervisor DeSaulnier ABSTAIN: None SUBJECT: .Annual Report of the Substance Abuse Advisory Board On this date,the Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by the Substance Abuse Advisory Board. There were no speakers on the matter. Following discussion the Board took the following action: ACCEPTED the presentation on the Substance Abuse Advisory Board's Annual Report for FY 1999-2000. l hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board.of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: Phil Batchelor,Clerk of the Board of Su ervisors and County Administrator By Deputy ANNUAL � A B D S v T I REPORT N R A C y A E g Submitted to q O Contra Costa County B q Board of Supervisors S D AuAugust1.5 , 2000 E FY 1999 , 2000 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUBSTANCE ABUSE ADVISORY BOARD SAAB FY 99-2000 Fcommunities tatement on of the Substance Anse Advisory Board is t assess family and community reatment and prevention of alcohol and drug abuse problems. We report the the Health Services Department,the Board of Supervisors, and advocate for that we serve'. • Inclusion and Respect for.All • Commitment, Cooperation and Compassion • Open-mindedness • Accountability • Empowering Ourselves and Others "Never doubt that a small number of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead - 1 - Introduction The Year in Retrospect: Crisis is Opportunity Towards the end of 1997, an alarming report was received by the Substance Abuse Advisory Beard---SAAB-at a regular Board monthly meeting During FY 1996-97 only 99 youth had been admitted to publicly funded substance abuse treatment in the County, compared to an estimate of at least 800 youth who needed treatment; 1 youth out of 8 who needed substance abuse treatment was receiving it. With the passion and commitment that exemplify SAAB members,the concern was brought to the attention of the County Board of Supervisors who directed SAAB to further study the issue. Funded by the Community Substance Abuse Services Division(CSAS),MK Associates was hired to work with SAAB to conduct the Study of Youth Access and Utilization of AOD Treatment in Contra Costa County. In April 1999,the findings and recommendations of the study were presented to the County Board of Supervisors. Thus, at the onset of the FY 99-2000 SAAB was challenged by the complex task of implementing the recommendations of the Youth Study, and by the need to advocate for system collaboration in an environment of compartmentalized systems thinking. Finally, a much bigger challenge was that the CSAS Division,had to face more demands for services with very few resources. The Study of Youth Access and Utilization of AOD Treatment in Contra Costa County: A Point of Departure "The.board is comprised of individuals who bring different fife and community experiences,and who participate in their own local community coalitions to create healthier alcohol and drug-free communities. When they act as SAAB members they become a stronger voice and they do it with enthusiasm,activism and commitment" Ellen Peterson-.District H Since the working goals of the FY 99-2000 emerged from the recommendations outlined in the Youth Study as commissioned by the County Board of Supervisors; there was consensual agreement on the tasks needed for implementation. In addition, SAAB's 1999 Annual Retreat was an opportunity for Board members to bring their own richness of experiences as community organizers and activists to decide the course of action. The Board used high levels of advocacy, community organizing,network development, education and other strategies to accomplish our goals and influence policy. After the retreat it was evident that we had laid the foundation for a stronger SAAB as individuals working in the same direction. -2- FY99-2000 GOALS I. Youth study goals: Development of an action plan (a) Assist CSAS with development of the Youth System of Care (b) Advocate for increase funding for youth treatment at state and local levels (c) Promote intersystem collaboration,coordination and networking (d) Advocate for the collection of prevalence data through the California Healthy Kids Survey CHKS (e) Support the establishment of a Juvenile Drag Court in"West County II. Environmental prevention as a tool to regulate alcohol availability (a) Continue monitoring problem outlets (b) Work in close collaboration with Municipal Advisory Councils (c) Establish a system for expediting decisions related to approval or denial of alcohol license's requests (d) Present alcohol outlet maps data to City Councils and MACs (e) Establish a relationship with the Alcohol Beverage Control(ABC) III. Increase consumer and family participation (a) Establish a formal link with the Partners in Recovery Alliance(PIRA.) and the recovery community at large (b) Advocate for the reduction of stigma (c) Conduct client satisfaction interviews (d) Assign a liaison and request appointment to Proposition 10 Commission IV. Maintain Board visibility in the community (a) "People Who Make a Difference Awards" (b) Community Fairs and Events (c) Continue"Contra Costa County: A Closer Look„ "Every year the Substance Abuse Advisory Board recognizes those individuals who contribute signitcantly towards combating substance abuse in our community." Peter Muller-Member At Large -3- 1. Youth Study Goals The Substance Abuse Advisory Board developed an orchestrated action plan aimed at tackling each of the recommendations outlined in the Youth Study. Each committee of SAAB selected specific tasks as appropriate within the scope of committee responsibilities. In addition, scheduled standing monthly meetings with Health Service Department Director Dr. William Walker to report task status and receive feedback. As per Board Order 11/15/98 letters of appreciation were sent to the Mount Diablo and Acalanes School Districts, acknowledging their effort for collecting substance abuse prevalence data. The Youth Study along with a packet of CSAS Service Resources, Youth and Family Continuum of Care, Service Maps,Profile of AOD Risk and Need Indicators, and Alcohol Outlet Maps,were presented to all the systems impacted by or serving youth that use alcohol and drugs. In conjunction with CSAS staff Youth and Family Providers develop Standardized Screening, Assessment, Referral and Evaluation. This was implemented by all the systems that serve youth that use alcohol and drugs to ensure early identification, access to services and outcomes. SAAB's advocacy to collect Contra Costa school prevalence data through the California Healthy Kids Survey CHKS began with Superintendent Dr. Ovick who enthusiastically supported our efforts. Followed by a presentation to the Safe and Drug Free School and Communities Coordinators, SAAB members, volunteers, youth,PIRA members, school personnel,District Coordinators, parents and staff committed to assist administer the survey in 17 school districts in Contra Costa County! From San Ramon Valley to Myron to the Juvenile Hall School campuses and with different degrees of participation, SAAB was setting the mark again! In the California Healthy Kids Network Newsletter, June 20100 issue, SAAB and Contra Costa County were highlighted as a model of effective and true interagency collaboration between the school and the community. In terms of financial support, various agencies pledged funding assistance to SAAB. Our thanks and appreciation to the Health Services Department, Probation Department, private donors, and specially the County's Central services staff who faced the draconian copy work needed to duplicate the surveys. "'SAAB wants to work with our county schools to design collaborative,needs driven,school based prevention programs. What better way to achieve this than the CHKSI We will have,,,for thefirst time,the data to determine our needs and design our prevention programs. The data from the survey will hlep us focus on the positive an measure strengths" Tom Aswad,SAAB Chair SAAR acknowledged the efforts of the DATE Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Coordinators in April 1999 with individual certificates and with a People Who Make a Difference,group award. II. Environmental Prevention The year was rich in experiences and learning, and we worked in close collaboration with the County's Municipal Advisory Councils. SAAB presented the Alcohol Outlets Maps that uses colorful graphics to depict the amount of alcohol per census track to City Councils,MACS, Police and Sheriff Departments,Parent Action Teams, local community coalitions, etc. -5- SAAB members learned that while alcohol continues to be the drug of choice of youth, the community as a whole does not consider alcohol as a concurrent cause of AOD related problems in the neighborhood. Hence,while schools design and implement alcohol prevention in the curriculum to educate youth about the dangers of alcohol, the school campus 'itself is surrounded by a significant number of alcohol outlets. Moreover, the norms of society influence the behavior of our youth. For instance,champagne glasses and beer mugs are given as prom favors, and alcohol is sold at youth sport events as a fundraiser. Some license holders are selling to minors,not curbing drink orders from already drunk customers and continuing service to just before closing time .lean Stimel To understand better the process of how the Alcohol Beverage Control(ABC) approves and/or denies applications for alcohol sales, and to establish an optimum working relationship with them as opposed to an adversarial position. SAAB met with the ABC Director. Since then SAAB has maintained close contact, facilitated training for various community groups, and utilized ABC's expertise on regular basis. Likewise, SAAB developed a process for taking action on issues related to the approval or denial of license applications in a timely fashion to better support our constituencies. 1999 was also a year of increased advocacy for local control in terms of communities deciding the amount,the place,the promotion and the product to be sold. In San Pablo, Walnut Creek, El Sobrante,Bay Point,Pittsburg, local coalitions and individuals were empowered with data substantiating whether or not public convenience or necessity was served. SAAB embraced the struggle of Mildred Carlton,a Richmond activist that asserted her right to counteract alcohol promotional billboards in the Richmond area. -6- "Our issue is that alcohol is illegal for kids so advertising should be child-proof' Diana Conti-The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems III. Increase Consumer and Family Participation From three nomination forms received in 1998, 17 individuals were nominated for the "People Who Make a Difference Awards"in FY 99-2000,which correlates with the increased visibility of SAAB and the effort of community and Board members to truly recognize those who are indeed making a difference in the trenches. We established a formal partnership with the Partners in Recovery Alliance(PIRA) a federally funded project through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment(LSAT). The purpose of PIRA is to become a unified voice of recovering individuals able to educate, advocate and influence policy. "In April I was invited to attend a conference in Washington DC related to strengthening the Recovery Community. There were eleven of us from Contra Costa County who attended and nine were in recovery. The atmosphere at the conference was very business like and the attended were all dedicated to their reason for being there. Looking around the room,I concluded that those people would fit in at any type of conference. Can you always identify the face of recovery? Probably not. The people Iknow in recovery are productive members of the community looking our for their own well being,but are also willing to look out for others as well". Harold Parsley,District IV -7- yb 7 �w.. IV. Maintain Board'Visibility The CASA Fiesta in pleasant Hill,the Com Festival in Brentwood and the Hope Fair sponsored by the Mental Health Commission were some of the outreach events at which SAAB joined by the clients of our programs such as the Ozanam Center and Wollam House participated bringing information and resources to the community. II -8- Y; qp p � ! ` on: E 1 } S tNwv 'F�• I may+ I SAAB conducted four community forum meetings in different regions of the County, two of which were honored by the presence of members of the County Board of Supervisors. Usually those meetings are held in the evening when the Board can interact with the community. Finally, during the year SAAB had three tour visits to some of the County facilities that provide substance abuse treatment in Contra Costa. We met face to face with some of the clients in residential services and we learned more about methadone services. Someone asked me the other day: Do you really think that you make a difference by bringing information to these fairs? I replied: I can not tell you if I make a difference,but what I can tell you is what would happen if I didn't". Harold Parsley,District IV -9- A note of appreciation to all of our friends,supporters and constituencies: On behalf of the Substance Abuse advisory Board,I thank each and everyone of you for your support to us throughout the year. This was a year of challenges and learnings.Most importantly accomplishments include the linkages we built, the partnerships we formed, and the presence that we expanded in the County. None of this was possible without your help. A reflection on our last year's actions are true indicators that the sum of individuals is more powerful than individuals alone. We knew since the beginning that complex problems require multidisciplinary and collective solutions. We also knew that the alcohol and drug problems faced by our communities would not be solved by piecemeal interventions.More than anything else, we were keenly aware that it takes a village to raise a child, and that our effectiveness could be diminished if strategies were used in isolation. This year we made signr;ficant strides bringing substance abuse to the forefront.At the County level we were able to increase funding for our new youth treatment services.,Substance Abuse Service Providers that are part of CSAS System of Care seeks to provide services in a comprehensive manner by incorporating best practices and principles of effectiveness. Likewise,substance abuse has also been identified as a common denominator in clients served in other systems. We have accomplished a lot and yet there is more to be done. Again, we remain grateful for the ongoing support and hope that you will also take credit for the work done in the Fiscal Year 1999.2000. ,Sincerely, Tom Aswad Chairman, Substance Abuse Advisory Board 10- SUBSTANCE ABUSE ADVISORY BOARD District I—Members (Jahn Gioia) Beverly Dickens Joanna Gomes Edward Rimer District H-Members(Gayle B. Uilkema) Ellen Peterson Vacant Vacant District III--Members (Donna Gerber) Tom Aswad Jodi Riley Vacant District IV-Members(Mark De Saulnier) Robbie Bush Harold E. Parsley Denise May District V-Members (Joe Canciamilla) Suzi Prindle Rocio Gomez Cindy Powell AT LARGE MEMBERS Leslie O. Anderson Patty Simons Peter Muller M.A. Khan Vacant Alternate—AJ Vogt COMMUNITY SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Chuck Deutschman—Director Amalia Gonzalez Del Valle- Staff Fatima Matal Sol - Staff