Extending Prevention to All Educational Levels

For 45 years, The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources has been dedicated to providing drug and alcohol prevention programming for students at every grade level. Thanks to a recent grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), The Center is expanding its reach to Bergen County’s Colleges and Universities. This expansion established the Bergen County Higher Education Prevention Consortium (BC HEAP), essentially providing services to students attending any primary, secondary, and post-secondary educational institution in Bergen County. The Center was one of only 44 organizations that received a Partnership for Success Grant from SAMHSA out of 350 applications.

The new initiative’s mission is to develop comprehensive strategies to address substance misuse and mental health wellness issues tailored to students aged 17-25 across Bergen County’s five higher education institutions: Bergen Community College, Eastwick College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Felician University, and Ramapo College. The consortium’s primary goals are to increase collaboration among the five schools, devise strategies to reduce substance misuse, and connect students with community resources to support mental wellness and recovery.

This effort addresses issues affecting all students. Each college will create a task force to expand membership and respond to student needs. “We expect these task forces to become strong public health advocacy groups after five years,” says Stephanie Drag, Associate Vice President of Prevention.

“All of these institutions are committed to creating programs and services that raise awareness of student issues, build skills, and improve access to mental health and substance misuse prevention,” says Ellen Elias. “This innovative approach thrives on the involvement of staff, faculty, and especially students, whose insight, creativity and leadership ensure that policies and programs are relevant and integrated into their school’s culture.”

Stephanie says, “Every student in Bergen County, from elementary school to college, will have access to prevention programming with our agency. The focus is on students making safe, smart decisions, learning to regulate emotions, knowing where to go for help, and establishing policies to minimize substance misuse. This is the foundation for helping students make choices that support their intellectual, emotional, and physical health.”

Adds Ellen, “Very few states have five colleges in one county, and very often these institutions do not work together. This initiative may not only be a model for our county, but also the state and potentially nationwide.”