Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Opioid and Stimulant Grant

CARA is a national program that provides support to local coalitions to prevent opioid, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drug use/misuse among youth 12-18 in their community. In the case of the collaboration between ECU and PCCSU, this grant will build upon current prevention strategies focusing on opioid misuse among youth, addressing the intersection of mental health and substance use, and addressing stigma. To achieve this goal, we seek to change the (1) culture that both promotes the acceptability of youth substance use and misuse while stigmatizing this behavior in a way that creates barriers to seeking and accessing care, (2) context that permits easy access to prescription opioids, and (3) social determinants of health that increase the risk of opioid and methamphetamine use. Specifically, we will reduce accessibility to prescription opioids through the promotion of safe storage and disposal of opioid medications. Additionally, we will utilize the PCCSU Youth Team to begin to address stigma in a youth-centered way.

Scholars @ ECU