Integration of the Health and Wellness Program Planning (HEW 412) course into our Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP): Drug Free Communities Support Program

A major part of the competency requirements of health educators is to be able to plan and implement health promotion programs. To be successful, one must have an array of resources available to provide programs that meet the needs as well as the goals of the community. The West Side Youth Development Coalition (WSYDC) has worked directly with Jonathan Lindner and his undergraduate Health & Wellness program planning (HEW 412) using a service learning approach during the fall 2013 semester to implement a Community Forum on Prescription Drug Use and Abuse for their Office of National Drug Control Policy Drug Free Communities (DFC) Grant. The DFC grant aims to reduce alcohol and drug abuse on the West Side of Buffalo. Throughout the semester the undergraduate students will develop a Community Forum specifically designed to address (1) Adherence Challenges (Prescription Drug Use and Abuse) (2) Literacy issues with Prescription drugs (3) Social Availability and Illegal Sales, and (4) Lack of Monitoring (Locking up or dispensing extra meds). The detailed information collected will be analyzed at the Center for Health and Social Research (CHSR) and the results will be used to specifically target future efforts. This poster will detail our procedures and expected outcomes.