Office of Substance Abuse Prevention

The Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP) operates under the direction of the Behavioral Health Services Division within the Human Services Department. The focus area is a state of the art substance abuse prevention system.

OSAP establishes an integrated and comprehensive substance abuse prevention services delivery system through the promotion of sound policy, effective practice and cooperative partnerships to ensure the availability of quality prevention. It is committed to the implementation of evidence-based prevention programs and infrastructure development activities. OSAP provides the infrastructure and other necessary support to local stakeholders in selecting and implementing policies, programs, and practices proven to be effective in research settings and communities.

OSAP is dedicated to improving and maximizing the impact of New Mexico’s substance abuse prevention system. To this end, OSAP seeks to build the capacity of the State’s local prevention providers to deliver effective prevention services aimed at reducing alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse.

OSAP currently receives funding from the Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Block Grant, the Partnerships for Success II Grant, State General Funds and the Food and Drug Administration Tobacco Inspection Contract.

Currently 16 OSAP contractors are working on alcohol prevention addressing the following indicators:

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  Underage Drinking
  
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  Binge Drinking (for youth and adults)
  
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  DWI (for youth and adults)
  

Providers are addressing the identified indicators above through the following strategies:

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  Working with local schools and colleges to enhance implementation and enforcement of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) policies,
  
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  Increasing enforcement of and support for DWI laws,
  
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  Reducing retail availability of alcohol products to minors and/or intoxicated patrons,
  
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  Increasing perception of risk of getting caught for DWI or other alcohol/drug laws, and
  
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  Educating tobacco retailers and monitoring the sale and placement of tobacco products through the Federal Synar initiative,
  

Three providers are working on prevention of illicit drugs and prescription drug abuse/misuse to address the following indicators:

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  Drug use ( for youth and adults)
  
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  Prescription painkiller use ( for youth and adults)
  

Strategies for drug prevention include:

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  Reducing retail and social availability of illicit and prescription drugs,
  
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  Strengthening drug-free workplace policies,
  
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  Reducing environmental contexts supportive of drug use, and
  
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  Increasing awareness of prescription drug abuse.
  

Additional statewide activities include an annual statewide community survey, an ATODA prevention training system, technical assistance on grant writing and strategy implementation for providers, and financial support for the Epidemiology and Response Division.

SPF-PFS II targets two of the nation’s top substance abuse prevention priorities among high need/low resource communities:

1) Underage drinking among persons aged 12 to 20; and

2) Prescription drug misuse and abuse among persons aged 12 to 25.

In addition to community-based prevention work, OSAP coordinates state-level partnerships that support and contribute to the work at the local level. Effective, aligned substance abuse prevention initiatives can minimize problem behaviors and prevent a host of other public health, education and social problems. Two of the most important partnerships OSAP coordinates are the Statewide Epidemiological and Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) and the Prevention Policy Consortium (PPC).

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  SEOW:
  
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    The vision of the NM Statewide Epidemiological and Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) is that data and products produced by the SEOW will be utilized to expand data-driven decision making and collaboration that support community level outcomes related to behavioral health. The mission of the SEOW is to provide strategic guidance to the state and communities on using assessment and epidemiological data and to direct broad, public prioritization processes based on: severity, burden, trends, preventability/changeability, capacity/resources, need, readiness, political will and public concern.
    
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    Committees and products:
    
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      SEOW meets monthly, comprised of members of state agencies (DOH, CYFD, DWI, BHSD, OSAP, TSB, etc.)
      
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      Four Evidence-Based Practices Workgroups: Prescription Drug Abuse, Suicide Prevention, Needs Among the Elderly, and Problem ID & Referral
      
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      Development of annual State Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile
      
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      Development of 11 Substance Abuse Epidemiology County Profiles
      
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      8 Data Roundtables held to train on accessing and using data for strategic planning and grant writing: 4 in regional areas (Albuquerque, Espanola, Roswell, and Las Cruces) and 4 in Tribal areas (Navajo Nation, Laguna Pueblo, Five Sandoval, and Eight Northern Pueblos)
      

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  PPC:
  
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    The Prevention Policy Consortium is collaboration of state agencies that fund prevention activities throughout the state. The group aims to increase the state’s capacity and meet gaps in the current prevention system by leveraging resources and supporting evidence-based practices, quality improvement, cultural competence, and training and technical assistance efforts.
    
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    Committees and products:
    

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  PPC meets monthly, comprised of members of state agencies (DOH, CYFD, DWI, BHSD, OSAP, TSB, etc.)
  

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  Five-Year Behavioral Health Promotion & Prevention Plan
  
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  Four strategic planning workgroups: Data Collection & Analysis, Training & Technical Assistance, Performance Monitoring & Evaluation, and Coordination of Services
  
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  Behavioral Health portal in the Department of Health’s Indicator Based Information System
  
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  2011 YRRS Highlight reports for middle and high school
  
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  Development of online prevention training system to expand access
  
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  Conducted community survey across 25 counties and 5 Pueblos/Tribes
  

Karen Cheman

Staff Manager, Office of Substance Abuse Prevention

37 Plaza La Prensa, Suite 191

Santa Fe, NM 87507

505-476-9270