Prevention today for a better tomorrow

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Who do we serve?

The Prevention Resource Center aims to provide information and statistics on substance abuse in the Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) region 7. Every year we put out numerous PSAs aimed at reducing marijuana use, underage alcohol use, and prescription pill abuse. We have a member of our team go out and perform tobacco law compliance checks with tobacco retailers across the region. We also put out a Regional Needs Assessment which synthesizes various statistics about alcohol abuse, substance abuse, risk factors, and protective factors in the region. HHSC region 7 includes: Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Coryell, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Grimes, Hamilton, Hays, Hill, Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Llano, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Robertson, San Saba, Travis, Washington, Williamson

A few things we’re great at

What does the PRC do?

Regional Needs Assessment

The regional needs assessment is produced every year and is a collection of substance abuse, risk factors, and protective factors data for the central Texas region.

Data Dissemination

In addition to distributing the Regional Needs Assessment (RNA), we take specific requests for data related to alcohol and substance abuse or risk and protective factors in the region and create smaller snapshots for the region.

Coordinate Trainings

We coordinate trainings for prevention organizations in the 30 county region to ensure that they are up to date with the latest information, ethical considerations, and youth prevention programs.

Coalition Work

We build ties with the community through participation in various coalitions across the 30 counties. Through this, we build support to help ensure that the coalitions are successful in their ventures.

Media Outreach

We create and broadcast, through various mediums, Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in order to get the message of drug use prevention out to various communities in the 30 county region.

Tobacco Compliance Checks

We go out into the communities across the 30 counties and ensure that places that sell tobacco are up to date on compliance with state and federal tobacco laws.

RNA Update

• Perceptions of marijuana as harmful have decreased among college students and adolescents.
• Alcohol and Marijuana were the primary substances for which people sought DSHS treatment.
• High risk use of alcohol (5 or more drinks in a 2 hour period) by students (grades 7-12) appears to be slowly decreasing in the region though current use has stayed constant.
• There are more prescriptions than people (1.3 prescriptions per person).
• Social support association scores for Region 7 were greater than the state average score.
• The percent of high school seniors who reported marijuana us e in the last 30 days has increased from 10-20% to 20-30% in the last 10 years while lifetime use remains constant around 40%.
• Between 2013 and 2017 Region 7 has held steady as the fourth highest region in opioid related exposure calls to poison control
• The dropout rate in Mills County has greatly increased starting in 2015, with many other counties seeing a jump to above 10 in 2016, while Brazos country has stayed consistently high for the region.

 

Closer Look

Seizures

Main Drugs Seized in Region 7

Overall the top 3 drugs seized seized in region 7 were: Marijuana with 111,131.00 lbs seized over the last 3 years Methamphetamine and Amphetamine with 4,881.52 lbs seized over the last 3 years Cocaine with 2,056.50 lbs seized over the last 3 years

Counties

The top 5 counties where the majority of drugs were seized were in order: 1. Travis county 2. Fayette county 3. Williamson county 4. Mclennan county 5.Bastrop county

Changes

Since 2014 there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of pounds of marijuana seized. There has been an increase in the number of opioids seized. There has been an increase in the number of pounds of methamphetamine and amphetamine seized.

Closer look

Youth Drug Use

In general substance use among youth has been relatively steady with a slight decrease over time if any change at all. However, between 2014 and 2016 there was a sharp increase in past 30 day use and a slight increase in lifetime use according to the Texas School Survey (TSS) for region 7.

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Lifetime Use

Alcohol is the primary substance used with 50-60% of youth having used it at some point in their life. Tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs have remained fail constant with prescription drugs seeing a slight uptick in the most recent TSS.

Past 30 Day Use

Alcohol is the primary substance used in the past 30 days with the rest of the substances remaining stead except for an uptick in the most recent TSS.

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