Hub Coalition porter county
OUR VISION: To provide sustainable initiatives and resources to end substance use disorder in Porter County.
OUR MISSION: To be the community hub responsible for building capacity, creating sustainability and providing resources that enhance the quality of life in Porter County by reducing substance use and the underlying causes and unintended consequences.
OUR PURPOSE: To formulate and implement a county wide comprehensive plan and to advocate legislative concerns both locally and statewide as it relates to the vision and mission of the Hub Coalition. Using the Comprehensive Community Plan as our guide, we strive to reduce the incidence or substance misuse in our community.
The Hub Coalition Porter County, previously known as the Porter County Substance Abuse Council, is a community resource and referral hub that provides support to any public and private non-profit agencies, as well as federal, state, local and tribal governments working to prevent and reduce substance abuse in our community. In an effort to address the needs of the community, there are three coalitions throughout the county. The coaltions offer community members the opportunity to participate in established prevention activites and guide the direction future activities and events.
Hub Coalition staff are qualified, credentialed and trained as Prevention Strategists having received extensive training through the National Coalition Academy. Training is provided through partnerships with federal, state and local funding sources. We are members of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, (CADCA); partners with the Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC); ONDCP, NHTSA, CDC, NIDA, APHA, and Overdose Lifeline, Inc. (ODLL).
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chuck Harris, President
Benjamin McFalls, Vice President
April Lauderdale, Secretary
Brenda Sheetz, Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS
Tim Beach
Molly Payne
STAFF
Dawn N. Pelc, MPA, MPH, CFRM, CPS
Executive Director
Drug Free Communities Project Director
Carley Samayoa, BSCJ, MPH
Partners for Success Project Director
Matters of Substance Producer
Betsy Stearns, LPN II
Partnerships for Success Community Coordinator
Samantha Aguilar, CAPRC II, ADS, RYT
IN CARES ECHO Coordinator
Porter County is located in Northwest Indiana, one hour southeast of Chicago, Illinois. We are on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, between Lake and La Porte Counties. According to 2016 population estimates, Porter County has a population of 167,791. Centrally located, the City of Valparaiso is the county seat with the City of Portage and Towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor and Porter in the northern half of the county while Hebron and Kouts are in the southern part of the county.
This Comprehensive County Plan (CCP) covers three problem statements in the areas of prevention/education; intervention/treatment, and law enforcement/justice. In an effort to cover all aspects of the plan, the CCP committee meets weekly for a series of months and collects data that is relevant to the program areas, developing a clear and concise picture of the substance abuse issues in the county.
The plan is an instrument for the county prepared by leading experts in the coalition and those who have collaborated with the coalition to prepare the best possible plan using current local data and local agencies. This Comprehensive Community Plan acts as the overall strategy connecting all the collaborative efforts of the many sectors and facets of the county. This plan has been presented to, and approved by, the coalition on Thursday, June 13, 2017.
LCC Contact:
Dawn Pelc, MPA, CFRM, CPS
Executive Director
Drug Free Communities Project Director
Hub Coalition Porter County
57 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 203
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-280-5252
Email: dpelc@portercountysac.com
County Commissioners:
Jim Biggs
Jeff Good
Laura Shurr-Blaney
155 Indiana Avenue #205
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Goals and Objectives
Problem Statement 1
Abuse of Prescription Drugs, Opioids, Heroin, and other illicit drugs is a significant problem. In fact, heroin and prescription overdose fatalities are at an all time high in Porter County.
Goals:
- Reduce the number of deaths in Porter County from illicit drug, prescription, opioid, and heroin abuse through community wide collaboration incorporating the initiatives of Justice, Treatment, and Education.
- Increase public awareness of, and solutions to, the problems associated with illicit drug, prescription, opioid, and heroin abuse and/or dependence.
Objectives:
- Increase the collection of unused prescriptions through drug drop-off boxes
- Reduce overprescribing of medications through promotion of the INSPECT prescription data base system
- Support substance abuse and dependence education programs that address the potential dangers of illicit and prescription medications, with an emphasis on opioid based prescriptions.
- Encourage the planning of Drug Awareness Nights at school sponsored events and/or other community events in Porter County.
- Support local law enforcement and government agency efforts to increase their capacity to reduce prescription, opioid, heroin, and other illicit drug use/abuse.
- Support and encourage therapeutic and/or alternative treatment evidence based programming to address prescription, opioid, heroin, and illicit drug use/abuse.
- Encourage and support formation of recovery groups and alternative peer groups to aid those individuals struggling with drug abuse and addiction.
- Encourage schools to participate in the Indiana Youth Survey for the purpose of collecting data on prescription abuse, opioid, heroin, and other illicit drug use by the youth of Porter County.
- Encourage and support programs that serve individuals in recovery as a means to increase protective factors against substance use.
Problem Statement 2
Alcohol use and abuse by both Porter County youth and adults is a problem within the county.
Goals:
- To reduce misuse of alcohol by both adults and youth in Porter County.
- Increase awareness and educate Porter County residents on the harmful effects and consequences of the misuse of alcohol.
Objectives:
- Support and encourage therapeutic programming that focuses on use and/or abuse of alcohol.
- Promote alcohol awareness and/or education programs within Porter County.
- Support local law enforcement and government agency efforts to increase their capacity to reduce underage drinking and drunk driving.
- Collaborate with local businesses in Porter County to raise awareness of the issues of alcohol abuse through various programs.
- Support programs that educate parents of their importance in modeling responsible consumption of alcohol in the presence of their children.
- Encourage and support alternative treatment programming for alcohol related offenders through problem solving courts and other diversionary programming.
- Encourage and support formation/expansion of recovery groups and alternative peer groups to aid those individuals struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction.
- Encourage schools to participate in the Indiana Youth Survey for the purpose of collecting data on alcohol use by the youth of Porter County.
- Encourage and support programs that serve individuals in recovery as a means to increase protective factors against substance use.
- Encourage community attachment and recognition.
Problem Statement 3
Porter County continues to have a problem with marijuana use/abuse by both adults and youth.
Goals:
- Increase awareness and educate the community concerning the risk of use/abuse of marijuana.
- Decrease use of marijuana by adults and juveniles within Porter County.
Objectives:
- Support local law enforcement and government agency efforts to increase their capacity to reduce marijuana use/abuse.
- Support and encourage therapeutic and/or alternative treatment programming, with an emphasis on evidence based programming, to treat marijuana use/abuse.
- Encourage elected officials to oppose legalization of marijuana in the state of Indiana.
- Support education efforts about the potential risks of marijuana use and its role as a gateway drug.
- Continue focus groups and peer panels in the local area schools to stay informed on current marijuana trends among youth in the community.
- Encourage schools to participate in the Indiana Youth Survey for the purpose of collecting data on marijuana use by the youth of Porter County.
- Encourage and support programs that serve individuals in recovery as a means to increase protective factors against substance use.