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Article 3 - Hear Reports of Committees - CAASA - ATM 2021 pdf file
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Report of the CANTON ALLIANCE AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE (CAASA) STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Elizabeth Francis, Department of Parks and Recreation, Chair 801 Washington St. Harriet Burak, Community Member, Vice Chair Canton, MA 02021 Charles Doody, Fire Chief, Fiscal Manager Telephone 781-821-5000 Kenneth Berkowitz, Chief of Police www.cantonalliance.org Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, Superintendent of Schools Cynthia Bonner, Board of Health Janet Donnelly, Secretary MISSION The mission of CAASA is to reduce the use of drugs and alcohol throughout the community, with a primary focus on youth, by encouraging healthy decision making and providing resources that address prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery throughout the lifespan. REPORT The Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) was originally established in 2013 to address youth substance abuse. CAASA consists of a diverse representation of invested community partners from Public Health, the Schools, Fire Rescue, Police, Parks and Recreation, Canton Public Library, the Council on Aging, the Norfolk County DA’s office, students, clinicians, and parents. Our collaboration allows for a 360-degree perspective on the issues affecting Canton and how best to address them. The members of CAASA, appointed by the Board of Selectmen, embody a cross section of municipal departments and residents. At the 2016 Annual Town Meeting, CAASA was adopted as an official town committee and was allocated the sum of $10,000 to collect data, execute programs, and provide educational resources. This allocation from the town has continued annually. The Department of Public Health once again awarded CAASA a $30,000 grant for 2021 to help Canton continue its efforts to provide resources to residents who are struggling with substance use disorder. CAASA activities have been curtailed due to Covid restrictions this year. The coalition has continued to have monthly meetings virtually to strategize on how to best provide resources to the Canton community amidst the pandemic. CAASA has once again allocated funds to provide five graduating senior students with scholarships. CAASA will continue to seek safe and appropriate options as capacity restrictions evolve. CAASA is a part of a grant funded Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative (SAPC), a cluster of coalitions representing the communities of Stoughton, Canton, Holbrook, and Walpole. CAASA representatives attended virtual meetings monthly and worked collaboratively to conduct parent and student online surveys. Because of the pandemic, the planned positive norms campaign was delayed until this spring. SAPC has been providing access to virtual programs for
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parents on pertinent topics relating to substance use throughout the pandemic. This grant is closed on 6/30/21 because the established goals have been met. An extensive application to receive federal CDC funding through the Drug Free Communities Grant (DFC) was submitted in March 2020. We were fortunate to have face-to-face focus groups Just prior to the pandemic to establish the infrastructure among local partners (as required for the grant). There are representatives from twelve sectors of the community who have committed to the collaboration required for the grant. The sectors are: youth, parent, law enforcement, schools, business, media, youth serving organization, religious/fraternal/civic/volunteer, healthcare professional, state and local agency involved with substance use, and other organization(s) involved with reducing substance use. On December 29, 2020, CAASA was awarded a total of $625,000 over a five-year period. CAASA members have attended numerous virtual training sessions and consultation meetings with CDC representatives to understand the expectations of the grant. The first priority for expenditure of the funding is to to hire a Program Manager to have oversight of the grant and guide coalition activities. Further, CAASA has entered a contract agreement with an Evaluator who will assist CAASA with data analysis and guidance with the submission of required reporting parameters. A community assessment will be conducted this spring and will be followed with the development of a Logic Model to determine how to best address the identified community needs. There will be ongoing efforts to meet the program goals which are to establish and strengthen collaborations to prevent and reduce substance use among youth, and over time, reduce use among adults. CAASA’s membership continues to expand as we seek to build capacity. Currently there are forty members, which include ten actively engaged Canton youth. Many thanks to our residents who volunteer their valuable time and talents to the committee including Harriet Burak, Barbara Casaly, Phyllis Moore, Andrew Staiti, Lisa Lopez, Brian Mahoney, Roseanne Burwell, Janet Donnelly, Eileen Blair, Carolyn Elkort, Mike Mahan, and Dan Whitely.