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Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative

The Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative (SPF) is a collaborative effort that strives to address disparities among youth around substance use and behavioral health.

What is the Strategic Prevention Framework?

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is an widely available and accessible community engagement model grounded in public and behavioral health principles developed by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to address local substance use and behavioral health challenges. Find out more about this model.

The SPF includes these five steps

  1. Assessment: Identify local prevention needs based on data (e.g., What is the problem?)
  2. Capacity: Build local resources and readiness to address prevention needs (e.g., What do you have to work with? How can you facilitate the communication of prevention science?)
  3. Planning: Find out what works to address prevention needs and how to do it. (e.g., What should you do and how should you do it?)
  4. Implementation: Deliver data-based programs and practices as intended (e.g., How can you and your coalition put your plan into action?)
  5. Evaluation: Examine the process and outcomes of programs and practices (e.g., Is your plan succeeding?)

What is the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) Community Advisory Board (CAB)?

The SPF CAB will serve as the vehicle for implementing the Strategic Prevention Framework. It’s an ongoing collaborative effort to address substance use and behavioral health disparities among youth with a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences in Washington County. The SPF CAB will work on activities that aim to reduce the health, social, and economic harms of substance use through community engagement and effective prevention strategies.

The 2025 SPF CAB application submission period has now closed.

If you would like to stay connected to project updates and related opportunities, please fill out this form online.

SPF CAB Next Steps

DateEvent
8/18/2025SPF CAB Information Session (5-6 pm via Zoom). English recording and Spanish recording
8/19/2025SPF CAB application opens
9/5/2025SPF CAB application period closes
9/22/2025All applicants notified of decision
Early OctoberHalf-day retreat for new SPF CAB members (in-person)
Nov-June 2026Monthly CAB meetings held (virtual)

Summary: April 2025 Kick-off Event

As part of the SPF initiative’s launch, the County’s Prevention and Behavioral Health programs hosted an in-person community needs assessment event in April 2025, inviting community members, partners and a variety of organizations to learn about the initiative while sharing their experiences and reviewing local data on substance use in relation to youth and young adults. Together, over 80 attendees and a total of 32 organizations:

Resources

  • Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center (SPTAC)
  • Sign up to receive monthly Live Well Prevention Digest emails by contacting: [email protected]. The monthly digest includes information about community events, trainings, grants, and other content related to PACES (Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences), substance use and gambling prevention, suicide prevention, and mental health promotion.

FAQs

The SPF CAB will focus on the activities that support the Strategic Prevention Framework processes. The first year of the SPF CAB will focus on the following projects:

  1. Assist in the completion of a community needs assessment focused on youth substance use and related behavioral health topics, including identifying populations in Washington County most impacted by those issues.
  2. Participate in a community action planning process to identify upstream prevention priorities and community strategies.
  3. Begin implementation of community action plan activities.

The SPF CAB will start meeting in October 2025. The SPF CAB will meet once a year in-person for a half-day retreat. All other monthly meetings will be hosted online for 90 minutes. SPF CAB members may be asked to complete 1-2 hours of optional work between meetings.

Yes! Washington County will compensate eligible individuals and organizations for their time at the rate of $75 per meeting or block of work time.

Anyone who lives or works in Washington County can apply here. Applicants will be invited to participate based on ability to meet the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated commitment to youth health equity.
  • Availability to meet attendance and participation requirements.
  • Interest in SPF Initiative and prevention.
  • Willingness to collaborate and engage in group decision-making.
  • Experience with upstream substance use prevention.
  • Experience that helps to build a CAB that is cross-sector, representative of Washington County’s diverse communities, and that incorporates priority perspectives.

Yes, the SFP CAB and the Washington County CHIP are connected since both are working to achieve community health improvement goals. The CHIP addresses a broad range of health priorities, and prevention-related work is often part of those priorities. Washington County staff are working behind the scenes to keep the SPF CAB and the CHIP aligned and supporting each other and to make it simple for partners to participate in this work.

El CAB del SPF se centrará en las actividades que apoyan los procesos del Marco Estratégico de Prevención. Durante su primer año, el CAB del SPF se centrará en los siguientes proyectos:

Ayudar a completar una evaluación de las necesidades de la comunidad centrada en el consumo de sustancias por parte de los jóvenes y temas de salud conductual relacionados, incluida la identificación de las poblaciones del condado de Washington más afectadas por esos problemas.

Participar en un proceso de planificación de acción comunitaria para identificar prioridades de prevención y estrategias comunitarias.

Iniciar la implementación de las actividades del plan de acción comunitario.

El CAB del SPF comenzará a reunirse en octubre de 2025. Se reunirá una vez al año presencialmente para un retiro de medio día. Las demás reuniones mensuales se realizarán en línea durante 90 minutos. Se podría solicitar a los miembros del CAB que realicen de 1 a 2 horas de trabajo opcional entre reuniones.

¡Sí! El Condado de Washington compensará a las personas y organizaciones elegibles por su tiempo a razón de $75 por reunión o bloque de tiempo de trabajo.

Cualquier persona que viva o trabaje en el condado de Washington puede postularse aquí. Se invitará a los solicitantes a participar según su capacidad para cumplir con los siguientes criterios:

  • Compromiso demostrado con la equidad en la salud de los jóvenes.
  • Disponibilidad para cumplir con los requisitos de asistencia y participación.
  • Interés en la Iniciativa SPF y la prevención.
  • Voluntad de colaborar y participar en la toma de decisiones grupal.
  • Experiencia en prevención del consumo de sustancias en etapas iniciales.
  • Experiencia que ayuda a construir un CAB que sea intersectorial, representativo de las diversas comunidades del condado de Washington y que incorpore perspectivas prioritarias.

Sí, el CAB de la SFP y el CHIP del Condado de Washington están conectados, ya que ambos trabajan para lograr objetivos de mejora de la salud comunitaria. El CHIP aborda una amplia gama de prioridades de salud, y el trabajo relacionado con la prevención suele formar parte de ellas. El personal del Condado de Washington trabaja detrás de cámaras para mantener la coordinación y el apoyo mutuo entre el CAB de la SPF y el CHIP, y para facilitar la participación de los socios en esta labor.