Wyoming Substance Abuse Prevention
Substance abuse prevention activities for the Wyoming Department of Health are now a part of the Public Health Division. Please bear with us as we work toward full representation of this change online.
The Public Health Division places priority on working with individuals, communities, and other state agencies on prevention activities based in current outcomes research. We support a variety of activities and policy changes with a goal of educating young people and adults and encouraging them to make healthy choices about their use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
All people live within a larger environment that includes the influences of their own genetic and individual characteristics, and the influences of family, co-workers, fellow students, teachers, bosses, neighbors, friends, churches, clubs, agencies, services, stress levels, politicians, cultural traditions, institutions and economic systems, social and environmental policies.
Mental illness, suicide, and substance abuse arise out of single effects or of combinations of these influences and are the subjects of various prevention activities. Some influences are more direct, such as genetics or family, and some influences are more indirect, such as economic systems and social policies.
Recent trends that influence the models and choices we make in prevention are 1) a focus on evidence-based prevention activities, those based on solid theory validated by research, and those interventions supported by a body of knowledge and expert consensus, and 2) the necessity of outcome goals and measurements.
FY 13-14 Documents have been moved to the Prevention System Change link on the left.
Prevention System Goals
Community Prevention Information and Contact Lists
Prevention and Division Staff
Programs and Services Provided:
Suicide Prevention
The State of Wyoming Suicide Prevention Program provides an array of services in the prevention of suicidal behaviors across the lifespan. Parts of this program are now in conjunction with Core Prevention. The Wyoming Youth Suicide Prevention (WYSP) initiative is to reduce suicidal behaviors among youth aged 10-24. It employs a public heath approach to prevention, relying on evidence-based models, best practices, and strong program evaluation.
Core Prevention Programs
The Core Prevention Initiative was implemented in State Fiscal Year 2011 by the Prevention Unit to provide community-level funding to reduce underage drinking and binge drinking, to prevent suicide, and to provide for other community-based prevention efforts that address local substance abuse problems that may be present within the community.
Tobacco Free Wyoming Communities (TFWC)
Tobacco-Free Wyoming Community (TFWC) programs are local prevention initiatives that utilize an evidence-based planning process to prioritize efforts. The TFWC programs work with volunteer networks to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, reduce tobacco initiation among youth, promote cessation programs, and address populations that suffer disparately from effects from tobacco.
Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program (WQTP)
Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program (WQTP) provides tobacco users access to free counseling services through the QuitLine (1-800-Quit-Now) or QuitNet at http://wy.quitnet.com. Upon enrollment in cessation counseling services, clients receive phone and online counseling or coaching, nicotine replacement therapy, as well as assistance with the cost of prescription medications that help with cessation success.
Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)
The EUDL program supports and enhances efforts to enforce state laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors and prevent the purchase or consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors.
WyoCARE
WyoCARE, the Wyoming Chemical Abuse Research and Violence Prevention Education Program, is a free resource center For teachers, parents, mental health providers, group leaders, school staff, youth, youth workers, and everyone else looking for free material. WyoCARE is a prevention, education and treatment oriented program coordinated through the Counselor Education Department at the University of Wyoming.
Youth VOICE
The Wyoming Youth Volunteers Organizing to Implement Community Engagement (VOICE) Initiative is designed to empower youth to question perceived and actual community norms and work towards prevention of underage substance use and abuse including alcohol, tobacco, prescription, and other drugs.
SBIRT/Motivational Interviewing
Research in the United States and across the world, funded by SAMHSA and the World Health Organization, has shown that educating people to the personal health risks of their substance use and results in them reducing their substance use. This screening and motivational interviewing process is extremely effective when a person has risky and non-dependent use of the substance, as this process helps them see the effects of use on their daily experiences.