SINCE ITS establishment in 2007, The Franklin County Prevention Coalition (FCPC) has had a simple mission: to keep kids off drugs and make a better tomorrow. Accomplishing this mission requires the entire community’s involvement. Different organizations working together towards a common goal, while maintaining their own identity, is the very definition of a coalition.
Jessie Sheehan, director of FCPC, said, “My role as a director is to make those connections with the community partners, and find ways for us to work together, so that we can prevent the onset of substance use in youth. We need the entire community involved.”
Through education and prevention strategies to students, parents, and community members, the coalition teaches what substance misuse is, the dangers, and how to build protective factors against it.
Early intervention is critical, and school programs strive to inform and engage students early. Topics covered are underage drinking, prescription drug use, e-cigarettes and vapes, and opioid use. These programs are also presented through partnerships with area community partners at events, church gatherings, and camps.
Working with adults through partnerships with employers is another element of prevention. More than just putting up “Don’t Do Drugs” posters, the work of the coalition is practical and partners with area businesses. Presentations through prevention programs inform employees about a drug-free workplace. Employers are coached on identifying substance use and offering information on treatment programs.
“We try to do that with every aspect of the community, whether it’s medical, mental health, law enforcement, or working with other youth-serving organizations. We work with policy-makers, civic organizations, volunteers, and parents just trying to reach every sector and have us all work together,” said Sheehan.
The TN Save a Life Program trains people to recognize an opioid overdose and use Naloxone to reverse it. It truly is a life-saving program, as one mother found out. Within days of receiving the training and the Naloxone, her adult son overdosed. The mother was able to administer the Naloxone and save his life, and FCPC helped the mother get her son into treatment.
The coalition is 100% funded through grants from the State of Tennessee, and Sheehan works with staff assigned to the management of each grant.
“We have grants that focus on intervention and focus on recovery, because we need that piece of the puzzle as well, in order to help the youth,” she said.
Sheehan continued, “It’s very much a team effort. Again, it goes back to the idea of coalition and how it takes everybody to make this change. We’re just all very like-minded. It’s all about meeting people (where they are) and helping them, whether it’s helping a parent reach their child or talking to a child who’s concerned about their parent. We hit every walk of life. It’s amazing. Prevention works, but the issue is big. There’s a big amount of work to be done.” -GN
