Substance Abuse Assessment
The Healthy Community Coalition (HCC) was formed in 1989 with the purpose of bringing organizations and individuals together in the Greater Franklin County community to pursue a common purpose. An affiliate of Franklin Community Health Network, HCC has a staff of 12 that works with community partners on a number of issues including tobacco cessation, promotion of physical activity, improving nutrition, breast health, and community building.
One of the oldest and largest Healthy Community Coalitions in the country, HCC seeks to measurably improve the health and well-being of the people in the region, and works with a diverse array of partners to pursue cultural change in areas identified by the community.
In the last decade, the Healthy Community Coalition has repeatedly identified substance abuse as a community health priority and made significant strides in addressing tobacco, particularly, as well as the risk factors for substance abuse in youth. In the summer of 2006, HCC applied for and received funding from the Office of Substance Abuse to more comprehensively assess the nature of substance abuse in Greater Franklin County, build community capacity to address the identified issues, and develop a five year strategic plan to reduce and prevent substance abuse.
Integral to the strategic planning process was the assembly of a robust group of more than 40 community members, professionals and health leaders. These individuals attended seven two-hour Work Group meetings and numerous small group gatherings in an effort to understand and prioritize the substance abuse issues in Greater Franklin County. They initially identified the following issues:
- Marijuana Use
- High Risk Drinking Among Youth and Adults
- Underage Drinking
- Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse
- Crystal Methamphatamine Use
- Cocaine Use.
Through a prioritization process that took into consideration community and organizational resources, available time, nature of the issue, the availability and integrity of the data that supported the issues, and finally, the ability to affect change, the following were put forth as the three major goals:
- Reduce High Risk and Under Age Drinking
- Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse
- Prevent Crystal Methamphetamine Use
A strategic plan was then developed. This was the result of active community participation and passionate dialogue. This group looks forward to growing and making its vision to effectively prevent substance use a reality. For a more information please contact Lisa Laflin at 645-3136 x5103 or llaflin@fchn.org. The report, strategic plan, and appendices can also be viewed by clicking below.
Substance Abuse Prevention 2007 Final Report
Report Appendices
- Organizational Chart
- Map of Area
- Collaborating Partners
- Sample Key Data Sets
- Focus Group Questions
2003 Community Health Assessment
This report is one snapshot of the health of Franklin County, looking at the data available to us on the health, well-being, and lifestyle choices of the people who live in our community. We hope that this data will help residents understand the health issues facing our community and make informed decisions about actions we need to undertake to improve the health of our neighbors and families.
The report is based on the most current data. It is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, and we have segmented into several sections rather than publishing it as one large document in order to make it more accessible to users on slow or dial-up Internet connections.
Printed copies of this report are now available. Please contact the Healthy Community Coalition (207-645-3136 or hcc@fchn.org) if you want a copy.
- Title Page
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Summary of Indicators
- Demographics
- Leading Causes of Death
- Access to Care
- Adult Wellness
- Youth Wellness
- Maternal and Child Health
- Disease Prevention
- Social Capital / Environment
- Conclusions
- Visioning
Past Reports
- 2000 Report (388K PDF file)
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