Summary of Specifications:
PURPOSE To solicit proposals from organizations that have the expertise, and are interested in providing researchbased substance abuse prevention services in Oakland County, under a performance-based contract with the Oakland County Health Division/Office of Substance Abuse Services (OSAS). Prevention programming is intended to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of substance abuse. It is conceptualized as an ordered set of steps along a continuum to promote individual, family and community health, prevent mental and behavioral disorders, support resilience and recovery and prevent relapse. OSAS is interested in funding culturally competent programming based on an outcome-focused logic model, i.e., a system that employs clear and useable outcomes for program planning, service delivery, accountability, and reporting. REQUEST As a basis for this request the OSAS utilized the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), a prevention planning model developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The first step of the process is completion of a formal needs assessment (NA) specific to Oakland County (OC). The intent of implementing a NA according to the SPF (www.carnevaleassociates.com/publications.html) is to determine priority problems that result from substance abuse. The objective is to marshal available resources and proven interventions to focus on identified problems; with the goal of effecting change at the population level. Following the guidelines of the SPF, OSAS formed a Community Epidemiological Workgroup (CEW) to collect available data on the consequences and consumption patterns that result from substance use in OC. The CEW assessed and analyzed the data to form problem statements and then determined probable intervening variables (driving forces) unique to OC. As a final step in the process a Prevention Planning Collaborative (PPC) was formed that included members of the OSAS Advisory Council, the CEW and other community partners. The PPC ranked the problem statements in terms of magnitude, severity, and availability of effective interventions. The prioritization process resulted in the following priority issues to be addressed in the request for FY 2010/2011:
