Meet the team leading the first comprehensive approach to substance use prevention in the U.S. Virgin Islands!

An exemplary collaboration among the Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands (PR-USVI) HIDTA, Overdose Response Strategy, and community partners is poised to design and develop the first comprehensive approach to substance use prevention in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The approach will stem from a strategic plan, which will emerge from the existing collaboration the regional HIDTA has with law enforcement in implementing a primary prevention program in the school system.

In late June, Amulen-Lalaf Wirsiy, USVI Public Health Analyst for the Overdose Response Strategy, reached out to ADAPT to request assistance with substance use prevention education in schools for teachers, staff, and students. Using a systematic approach and rallying the community towards substance use prevention across the islands is important to their HIDTA. As they move forward, the Collective Impact framework will guide their approach to developing a common agenda, setting shared goals, maximizing the impact of activities, engaging in continuous communications, and fostering a team that is committed to the vision. 

Kudos to the PR-USVI HIDTA and ORS team for paving the way for an informed and evidence-based approach to substance use prevention in your region! To learn more about the PR-USVI HIDTA, visit their website, HERE. 

Prevention Tip

Adapting Evidence-Based Strategies

to Meet Community Needs

When adapting evidence-based interventions, some may choose to implement the intervention as originally designed, much like the recipe on the back of the cake box (FIDELITY). Others may need to adapt or modify the implementation approach to best address the needs using the unique resources available to them in their communities (ADAPTATION), much like adapting a recipe to meet the unique diet needs in a household or use the best available ingredients.

Making informed adaptations using tools such as the recipe analogy above increases the likelihood that fidelity will be maintained to the intervention as originally studied.

For more information on how to make evidence-informed adaptations, please visit our recent technical webinar on this topic HERE. 

Mark Your Calendars

National Emerging Threats Initiative (NETI)

While it is common knowledge that methamphetamine use in the United States has increased over the past decade, it is important for law enforcement, treatment professionals and policy makers to have a clear sense of the magnitude of the problem. A review of U.S. methamphetamine seizures reported by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas shows that nationwide methamphetamine seizures increased from 76 million estimated doses in 2011 to 1.8 billion estimated doses in 2021, for an approximate 2,200 percent increase over the time period.  

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Public Safety and Public Health Partnerships to Address Stimulants

As a response to a growing number of overdose deaths involving stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine, the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program held a 2-day virtual workshop. Topics included public health and public safety partnerships to address stimulants, the science of stimulant addiction, police-led initiatives, policy efforts, community relations, key recommendations and implications.

A summary report, including recorded sessions, can be found HERE.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Public Health and Safety Team (PHAST) Toolkit

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation released a Public Health and Safety Team Toolkit to provide data-driven overdose response guidance for public health, criminal justice, law enforcement, and first responders. Public health and public safety both offer unique opportunities and resources for effective interventions. The toolkit includes leadership guidance, describes the roles and responsibilities of each sector, and provides examples of data sharing, sample materials, and other tools.

The full toolkit is available HERE.

ODMAP: Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program

New Training Videos and Updates

Recently, ODMAP has released four new training videos on their YouTube channel to better help their users navigate the program. Click HERE to view. 

As of July 2022, ODMAP has:

• 4,000 agency contributers
• 26, 000 users 
• 26 states with a statewide strategy, including 16 statewide API data feeds
• 1.32 million overdose events 

Learn more about ODMAP HERE.

To view subscription links to all previously listed resources in this section, such as substance use prevention newsletters, click HERE and scroll to GET CONNECTED. 

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Now Live

Have you heard about the new crisis lifeline number? 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has launched 9-8-8 as the new 3-digit suicide, substance use, and mental health CRISIS LIFELINE. If you or someone you know is in need of immediate assistance or looking for treatment services related to substance use and/or mental health, CALL or TEXT 988 to get access to 24/7 free and confidential support and resources. Translation services are available.

More information regarding 988, and other resources to help strengthen suicide prevention and mental health crisis services, can be found HERE.

Do you know how much money can be saved by investing in upstream prevention strategies?

A recent blog post by the National Institute on Drug Abuse highlights the cost-saving nature of prevention. A variety of studies were summarized, with dollar savings varying from $2.88 to $25.92 saved for each dollar invested. Primary prevention is relatively inexpensive, designed to reduce costly behaviors, and can yield savings across a variety of sectors.

Read the full blog HERE.

Overdose Deaths Continue to Climb, But at a Slower Rate

Are you keeping track of the current overdose trends? 

An estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during 2021 were reported from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents an increase of 15% from 2020, although the increase is smaller than what was seen from 2019 to 2020, in which overdose deaths rose 30%. 

View the report HERE.

National Council for Mental Wellbeing Survey on Accessing Substance Use and Mental Health Care

Has virtual healthcare in a post-COVID world addressed common barriers to receiving substance use and mental health care?

It would seem not. A recent survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults found that in the past 12 months, 42% needed substance use or mental health care and did not receive it. Barriers for receiving substance use care continue to include cost (31%), inability to find a conveniently located provider (22%), and inability to get an appointment immediately (28%). Of individuals who did receive substance use care in the past 12 months, 81% said they had trouble getting it.

Read the full report HERE.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Releases 2022 World Drug Report 

Have you read this year's World Drug Report? 

This year’s World Drug Report focuses on cannabis trends post-legalization, substance use among women and youth, and the environmental impacts of illicit substances. High-level key takeaways include: North America has seen an increase in daily cannabis use; cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids have increased in production and trafficking; and overdose deaths in the U.S. and Canada continue to break records, largely due to fentanyl.

The report can be found HERE.

Prevention Toolbox

Interested in exploring topics related to prevention science and practice?



Applied Prevention Science International has created a new section on their website called PREVENTION TOOLBOX. The toolbox stores all previously released Prevention Nuggets and Prevention Highlights. Both resources are updated regularly to provide timely updates and published reports related to prevention science and practice. 

Get connected with APSI HERE. 

How To Invest Opioid Settlement And Federal Funding To Prevent Substance Use And Promote Youth Mental Health

How can states best use opioid settlement funding for prevention? 

Health Affairs, a health policy journal, released an article to help address uses of new federal funding to prevent substance use and promote youth mental health. The article aims to provide practical, sustainable, and research-informed actions. Notably, the article encourages consideration of comprehensive approaches to substance use prevention that expands the focus to upstream prevention of all substances of use alongside mental health promotion strategies.

Find out more HERE.

Opioid Use Disorder Stigma, Discrimination, and Policy Attitudes in a National Sample of U.S. Young Adults

Do you know how stigma surrounding opioid use disorder is affecting your community? 

A recent study examining the stigma associated with opioid use disorder found that while stigma is associated with higher levels of discrimination towards people with opioid use disorders and subsequently less support for public health policies related to addiction, younger adults had lower comparative levels of stigma than did older adults. Lower levels of stigma were also found in those with a personal connection to the disease. The Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) provides a brief video synthesis of the findings and implications, presented by one of the study authors.

For the full results, and related video presentations, click HERE.

Six new ACED It! podcast episodes 

Looking for a new way to learn more about opioid use disorders?

Six new ACED It! podcasts have been released this summer from The Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN). Podcasts cover new information in health and justice research, and include topics such as opioid use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the community in reducing overdose deaths, and medications for opioid use disorder.

Listen to the podcasts HERE. 

Strategies for Preventing Opioid Use Disorders in Communities

A policy brief describing recommendations, strategies, and evidence-based programs for opioid use was developed in partnership with the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, Applied Prevention Science International, Inc., the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and ADAPT. The brief spotlights the need to shift upstream in order to address the ongoing national opioid crisis.

Read the policy brief HERE.

Did you know we have a published author working on our team?

Adeola Adeyemo joined ADAPT in August of 2021 and serves as our Communications Graduate Assistant. In 2010, the manuscript for her children's book, Sarah’s Victory, was selected out of hundreds of other entries after a call was made by the publishing company (Melrose Books & Publishing, Nigeria) for submissions by new and emerging writers. Sarah's Victory is a story of honesty, family, friendship, and strength.​ After the death of her father, Sarah's success in life depends on her ability to conquer the challenges that lie ahead of her.

Adeola is currently working on her Master’s degree in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and states, “My work at ADAPT has inspired me to include substance use and its impact on the community as one of the themes in my next book.”