Mission

The mission of the Regional Prevention Center of Wyandotte County is to be the focal point for community-centered prevention by providing an innovative framework of leadership, support and guidance thus creating an environment that produces healthy lifestyles free of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Challenge

Race, socioeconomic class, gender, and sense of place shape our perceptions of ourselves and those around us. But, it is our sense of place which ties us to our physical neighborhood. First we are Midwesterners, then we are Kansans, and Wyandotte County "Dottes." We are members of a community such as Rosedale, Armourdale, Argentine, Piper, Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, Edwardsville, Bonner Springs, Turner, Central Avenue. We are even a part of a certain block of houses with neighbors beside us, across from us and down the street. We are families which live in the houses that line our block. It is this network of neighbors that creates the community in which we live. Our strong sense of place rooted in our families and neighborhoods provide a unified front against the crime, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Together we can develop strategies to build, protect, and celebrate our community.

Strategies & Projects

• Communities That Care
  A model for improving the health of communities, families and individuals using Kansas Communities That Care survey data.
• Grassroots Leadership Trainings
  Workshops that teach strategies designed to empower neighborhood residents to resolve problems and to promote a safe, clean, and caring environment.
• Baseline Training (Adult & Teen)
  A training which examines the effects of alcohol and other drug use on the individual, family, and the community
• Parenting Programs
  A training which covers the problems parents face today regarding peer pressure, motivating their child to stay in school, and parent/child relationships.
  
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
  Resources and training on how the use of alcohol affect you and your baby both before and after birth.
• Methamphetamine Awareness Project
  Training for neighborhood leaders and professionals on the problems associated with meth use and drug-endangered children.
  
• Synar
  Training and support for employees and owners of outlets for tobacco sales regarding their legal responsibilities in limited product accessibility to underage youth.
  
• SPICE
  A program for assisting older adults and their care givers in coping with medication mismanagement and substance abuse.
• Resource Center
  Books, videos and evidence-based curriculum are available for checkout.
  
  
  

  Community Mobilization Community mobilization involves defining and communicating healthy beliefs and clear standards across as many domains as possible -- families, schools, media, business, peers, and other community groups -- in an "immersion" of young people in the message. Community mobilization provides opportunities for all members of the community to contribute their unique talents and perspectives. Community/School Policies Policies are laws, rules, codes or standards that guide people's behavior and their interactions with their environment. Policies can be a vital and effective tool for creating positive changes at all levels of a community and are a critical element of comprehensive prevention programs. Parent Training Parent training provides information and skills to help parents be more effective in raising their children. Parents of children at different ages require information and skills specific to their child's developmental stage. All parent training programs should help parents set clear standards for behavior and promote bonding by increasing opportunities for children to be involved in the family, skills for involvement and recognition for that involvement. Positive Youth Development Programs Our children face complex choices and challenges. The choice to use alcohol or other drugs is affected by parental attitudes, peer attitudes and behavior, the media, community laws and norms, and much more. As adults, we often underestimate our influence on children. We all play a role in creating an environment that supports, protects and encourages youth to make positive decision. People all over Wyandotte County are working together to create a safer, healthier environment for young people.

Promoting Healthy Communities Through Partnerships

The Regional Prevention Center's purpose is to act as a catalyst to promote healthy communities through collaborative partnerships. Therefore, we will:

• lead community-wide risk assessments that identify key factors contributing to adolescent alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, violence, teen pregnancy, school dropout, and delinquency.
• enhance communities' prevention efforts by providing current, accurate information and resources.
• manage the region's electronic link to RADAR, the national substance abuse resource for research and practice.
• provide training, support and technical assistance to community leaders as they build protective factors - efforts which reduce the risk of adolescent problems behaviors, including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.

Connect Kansas

Creating and supporting environments for children to become healthy
and contributing members of Kansas communities.

9 Developmental Outcomes (Based on risk/protective factors)

1. Families, youth and citizens are part of their communities' planning, decision-making, and evaluation.
2. Families and individuals live in safe and supportive communities.
3. Pregnant women and newborns thrive.
4. Infants and children thrive.
5. Children live in stable and supported families.
6. Children are ready for school.
7. Children succeed in school.
8. Youth are choosing healthy behaviors.
9. Youth successfully transition to adulthood.