Walla Walla County Department of Human Services is one of eighteen recipients
of the Washington State Incentive Grant (SIG). SIG funds are allocated to
communities to prevent the use, misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana
and other drugs by Washington State youth. Community grantees are expected to
make their local prevention system more effective by establishing prevention
partnerships, using a risk and protective factor framework for data driven needs
assessments, and by implementing and monitoring science-based prevention
programs. Walla Walla's second year experiences with SIG are reported here.
Project Site
There are three Walla Walla County schools at which prevention services are
provided through SIG funding: Pioneer Middle School in Walla Walla and Sager
Middle School and Meadowbrook Intermediate School in College Place, a few miles
southwest of Walla Walla. Through the Parent Navigator Program, parent and
family training and resource materials are distributed in community gathering
sites in both towns. Life Skills Training is the prevention program selected for
College Place. Across Ages and After School Action Clubs are provided in Walla
Walla.
Walla Walla County is a major agricultural and service community for
southeastern Washington State. The majority of jobs are service-related.
Agriculture has been replaced as the primary employer by government, light
manufacturing, and retail trade. Washington State Penitentiary is located
between Walla Walla and College Place. The county's population grew 14% over
the past decade, less than Washington State's 21%. Over half of the county's
55,180 residents live in the city of Walla Walla: 29,686. College Place has
7,818 residents. The county's (estimated) 1997 median household income was
lower than the state's: $34,471 compared to $41,715.
Prevention History
Before receiving SIG funds, Walla Walla County Department of Human Services
already had some familiarity with creating prevention partnerships, using a risk
and protective factor framework, and using data for determining needs and
assessing resources. However, their use of data for needs and resource
assessment was not standardized. They had not implemented prevention programs
known to be effective, also known as science-based programs.
Progress toward Community Level Objectives Objective 1: Establish partnerships...
Walla Walla County Department of Human Services was involved in multiple
prevention partnerships before receiving SIG funding. Partnerships include the
Community Public Health and Safety network, Community Connections, the Substance
Abuse Coalition, the Children's Home Society, the Walla Walla Public Library,
and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
Objectives 2 and 3: Use a risk and protective factor framework for
planning and participate in joint community risk and protective factor and
resource assessment.
The County has a previous history of using the risk and protective factor
framework for planning. It has conducted local collaborative needs assessments
prior to the spring 2001 statewide pilot test. Every couple of years, the Walla
Walla County Department of Human Services publishes an Agency Resource Guide. In
addition, the Department and the Walla Walla Area Library Network is creating an
electronic interactive community resource and referral database.
Objective 4: Select and implement effective prevention actions...
This objective refers to implementing prevention programs that have been
shown to be effective through research. The local SIG project director reported
that matching the needs of the community to specific best practice programs was
a challenge. Life Skills Training addressed risk factors identified by using
results from the Washington State Survey of Adolescent Health Behaviors, but
other identified needs were harder to match to science-based programs. Across
Ages was selected because it partly met the identified needs of the community
and the partnering school, but the program was not successful in Walla Walla.
The Parent Navigator program was developed locally to meet identified needs in
the community, as was the After-School Program at Pioneer Middle School.
Objective 5: To use common reporting tools...
Reporting tools are used to measure the effectiveness of prevention programs.
At the program level, Walla Walla had available through SIG the Everest program
outcome monitoring system. For measurement of community level outcomes, Walla
Walla and College Park schools participate in the Washington State Survey of
Adolescent Health Behavior. Because of SIG requirements, the survey was
administered in three additional schools. Both Everest and the survey measure
risk and protective factors. The survey also measures substance abuse
prevalence.
Successes
Parent Navigator, a new prevention program designed to meet local needs, was
designed and successfully implemented. Results have been documented, the first
step toward proving the program effective and making it available to other
communities. The Mental Health Division of the Department of Social and Health
Services thought the program worthy of additional funding to expand services.
This is an example of leveraging funds, as SIG funding was used to design and
implement the initial program, and, with a documented beginning, additional
funding was acquired. It is also an example of building prevention partnerships.
While Across Ages was discontinued, a new partnership was created with the
Friend's, a mentorship program planned about a year before SIG funds were
received. Mentoring matches began in late 1999. This is an example of
recognizing and using existing resources, instead of duplicating services.
A science-based prevention program, Life Skills Training, was successfully
implemented with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in the College Place
School District. While not directly attributable to the program, the school
counselor noticed that incidents of substance abuse, detention, and disciplinary
actions were fewer in the middle school after completion of Year 2 LST.
Challenges
Staff turnover at county, school district, and SIG program level made it
difficult to carry out plans smoothly. It took time to recruit and train new
staff, and institutional memory was lost.
Walla Walla continued to have difficulty with data input and retrieval when
using the Everest database. This was frustrating, especially with the Life
Skills program, because teachers and program facilitators were anxious to see if
the program had the promised effects with program participants.
Rival Explanations for Changes
There are over twenty-five active social service coalitions in the community,
many focusing on youth. The community applies for many grants on behalf of
youth. Below is a list of some of the services that help youth in the county and
that are also contributing to risk reduction and protection enhancement. Any
changes in long-term prevention outcomes must be attributed to the influence of
these services, as well as those funded by SIG:
A partnership among the city of Walla Walla Parks and Recreation
Department and the Community Network opened a teen center during the first
project year (1999-2000). It is viewed as a great success. The center now has
an advisory board and non-profit status.
Children's Home Society has a grant to provide prevention
services in the public schools. The project is located at the high school,
with outreach to 8th graders. It involves recruiting tutors and mentors of all
ages to assist students with their studies and transitions from middle to high
school.
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) programs operate in
the county schools outside the city of Walla Walla.
Law enforcement officers provide a Gang Resistance Education and
Training (GREAT) program in local schools.
Youth And Family Yellow Pages provide an easy-to-use guide
to family and youth services and resources. The Pages also include
information on ATOD prevention.
Tobacco settlement funds, administered through the Department of
Health, are used to educate kids about the dangers of tobacco use.
ESD #123 places prevention specialists in Sager and Pioneer
Middle Schools. Among other services, they provide the Teens Against Tobacco
Use (TATU) prevention program.
Community Connections, Community Network, and local DASA prevention
staff collaborated to present a methamphetamine awareness workshop in 2001.
Download Community Report
Click on the PDF symbol
to the left to download the brief description to the achievements
and challenges experienced in implementing science based
prevention in this community: "Walla Walla County
Department of Human Services, Walla Walla County Executive
Summary of Community-Level Process Evaluation Reports" Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18a (159 KB)
Click on the PDF symbol
to the left to download a description of the prevention
activities and the main community partners: "Community
Project Description for Walla Walla County - Walla
Walla Conty Department of Human Services." Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18b (136 KB)
Click on the PDF symbol
to the left to download the components of the community
plan: "Project Action Plan for Walla Walla County - Walla Walla County Department of Human Services." Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18c (431 KB)
Click on the PDF symbol
to the left to download the report of the first year activities:
"Walla
Walla County Department of Human Services, Walla Walla County
Washington State Incentive Grant 1st year Community - Level
Evaluation 1999-2000." Publication Date: 11/2000. Report Number: 4.43-18d (230 KB)
Click
on the PDF symbol to the left to download the report of
the second year activities: "Walla
Walla County Department of Human Services, Walla Walla County
Washington State Incentive Grant 2nd Year Community - Level
Evaluation 2000-2001." Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18e (278 KB)
Click on the PDF symbol
to the left to download data on changes in risk and protection
factors for prevention program participants: "Program
Outcomes" Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18f (214 KB)
Click on the PDF symbol to the left to download data on
changes in trends of risk and protection for the entire
community: "Community Outcomes Report - Walla Walla
County - Walla Walla County Department of Human Services" Publication Date: 04/2002. Report Number: 4.43-18g (76 KB)
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Related Information
Link to
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information
about Walla
Walla county
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Copyright 2004 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
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