Prevention

Prevention is a proactive process that empowers individuals and systems to deal constructively with potentially difficult life situations, to keep healthy people healthy and to bolster the strength of those at risk. It incorporates education/information activities and programs that are aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding about drugs, tobacco and alcohol and their effects on youth, family and community. Prevention activities are targeted at the total population with emphasis on reducing the possibility of alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse before it occurs.

The York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission contracts with prevention provider agencies located in York and Adams counties. Prevention providers provide services to schools, media, families, social service agencies and other community organizations in need of education and alternative prevention. Prevention services may be accessed by contacting a prevention provider directly. For a full listing of prevention providers with whom the Commission contracts please reference our 2017-2018 Provider Directory.

Intervention

Intervention services involve the provision of services aimed at assisting individuals in coping with a specific crisis or other situations in his or her life whereby his or her customary modes of adaptation have proven inadequate. It assists in decision-making and supporting the person until he or she can cope with the situation independently. Referral is provided if the need for a structured treatment regimen or other service is indicated. Intervention services consist of crisis, outreach and student assistance program services. For a full listing of intervention providers with whom the Commission contracts please reference our 2017-2018 Provider Directory.

Crisis

Crisis Intervention is emergency psychological care aimed at assisting individuals in a crisis situation. Crisis intervention services offer short term immediate help to individuals who have experienced an event that produces mental, physical, emotional and behavioral distress. Help is available, day or night.
Outreach

The Outreach activities within the Intervention Level are designed to assist in identifying those individuals who are at high risk of becoming substance abusing individuals; there to encourage those individuals who are substance abusers to access treatment.

Outreach also includes promoting awareness about substance abuse and its relationship to contracting communicable diseases. Staff persons conducting outreach provide these groups with information about accessing intervention and treatment services. In addition to outreach services to the injection drug user population, as required by the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, other examples are programs for persons who may be exposed to HIV (e.g., Client Testing/Partner Notification) or Hepatitis C, as well as programs that reach out to the Latino community.

Student Assistance Program (SAP)

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Student Assistance Program (SAP) is designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success. The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) is to help students overcome these barriers in order that they may achieve, remain in school, and advance.
SAP is a systemic process using techniques to mobilize school resources to remove barriers to learning. The core of the program is a professionally trained team, including school staff and liaisons from community alcohol and drug and mental health agencies. SAP team members are trained to identify problems, determine whether or not the presenting problem lies within the responsibility of the school and to make recommendations to assist the student and the parent. When the problem lies beyond the scope of the school, the SAP team will assist the parent and student so they may access services within the community. The student assistance team members do not diagnose, treat or refer to treatment; but they may refer for a screening or an assessment for treatment.

All school districts are mandated to offer a student assistance program designed for students at risk.

The program has a four-step approach beginning with:

  • Referral - Anyone can refer a student to SAP when they are concerned about someone’s behavior -- any school staff, a student’s friend, a family member or community member. The students themselves can even go directly to the SAP team to ask for help. The SAP team contacts the parent for permission to proceed with the SAP process.
  • Team Planning – The SAP team gathers objective information about the student’s performance in school from all school personnel who have contact with the student. Information is also collected from the parent. The team meets with the parent to discuss the data collected and also meets with the student. Together, a plan is developed that includes strategies for removing the learning barriers and promoting the student’s academic and personal success to include in-school and/or community-based services and activities.
  • Intervention and Recommendations – The plan is put into action. The team assists in linking the student to in-school and/or community-based services and activities. The team might recommend a drug and alcohol or mental health assessment.
  • Support and Follow-Up – The SAP team continues to work with and support the student and their family. Follow-up includes monitoring, mentoring, and motivating for academic success.

SAP Resources:
SAP online