-ROLE OF THE PRCS-BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE RNA-IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

Hortencia C. Carmona, MSPRC Region 8, PRC Regional Evaluator

Tuesday December 15, 2015 

ROLES OF THE PRC’S

(PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER)

PRC-8 is 1 of 11 PRC’s throughout Texas PRCs are supported by the Texas Department

of State Health Services (DSHS) Centers are part of a larger network of youth

prevention programs and community coalitions PRC’s works to improve the welfare of Texans

by discouraging and reducing substance abuse PRC’s work provide valuable resources to

address the state’s three prevention priorities: (1) under-age drinking, (2) marijuana use, and (3) prescription drug abuse, as well as tobacco

and other illicit drugs Region 8: Upper South Texas

Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Calhoun, Comal, DeWitt, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Jackson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, La Salle, Lavaca, Maverick, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Wilson, and Zavala Counties.

REGIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT (RNA) Assembled by the Prevention

Resource Center in Texas Region 8 (PRC 8)

A comprehensive view of information about the trends and outcomes associated with regional and statewide drug and alcohol use

to help better understand the needs of the communities and to evaluate how best to serve these needs.

Information presented in this document has been acquired by a team of regional evaluators throughout Texas and the PRC 8 team.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE 2015 RNA

PRC REGION 82015 Regional Needs

Assessment 2015 Regional Needs

Assessment Overview 2015 RNA

Available online at www.prcregion8.org

220 pgs. each 110 sources

Tables & ChartsDefinitions Additional Resources

Available in English & Spanish (pdf)

2015 RNA Overview

Available online at www.prcregion8.org 70 pgs. combined Available: in English & Spanish (pdf/ hardcopy)

Summary, Risk & Protective Factors, Region at a Glance, Regional Resources

Source: PRC8 2015 RNA

COLLEGE & HIGHER EDUCATION - 2015 RNA-KEY FINDINGS

COMMUNITY & STATE COLLEGES

Texas Higher Education Enrollments

Certified Certified Change Percent

Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Change Two- and Four-Year Institutions

Universities 584,785 603,598 18,813 3.2

Community and State Colleges 708,508 700,836 -7,672 -1.1

Texas State Technical Colleges 11,333 11,642 309 2.7 TOTALS 1,304,626 1,316,076 11,450 0.9

Region 8 Higher Education Enrollments

Certified Certified Change Percent Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Change Two- and Four-Year Institutions Universities 37,626 37,556 -70 -0.2

Community and State Colleges 68,648 67,989 -659 -1.0

Texas State Technical Colleges 23,377 23,592 215 0.9

TOTALS 129,651 129,137 -514 -0.4

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB):• Texas high school graduates who

enroll in college immediately after high school has decreased.

• For Hispanic and African American students, the percentage enrolling in college immediately after high school has continued to decrease since 2011.

COLLEGE DRINKING

Consequences for Students• Academic fallout: Missed classes,

poor school performance, withdrawal from courses, and dropping out

• Health problems: Alcohol use disorder and other alcohol-related problems, such as sleep issues and depression

• Acute risks: Impaired driving, unsafe sex, fights, sexual assaults, suicide attempts, unintentional injuries, overdoses, and death

Consequences for Schools:• Higher costs for health care and

security • Costs related to campus

vandalism• Costs related to attrition and the

need for additional recruitment• Damage to a school’s reputation

TRENDS IN COLLEGES &

UNIVERSITIESAlmost 40,000 arrests and

165,000 disciplinary actions for drug- and alcohol-related

offenses on American college campuses

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, with an estimated 1,500 deaths each year

More young people use alcohol

than any other drug, including tobacco or marijuana.

Among college students ages 18 to 22, alcohol use is common …

60.3 percent are current drinkers.And excessive …

40.1 percent are binge drinkers (at least five drinks/occasion); and14.4 percent are heavy drinkers (at least five drinks/occasion at least five times/month).

Really excessive …Young people ages 18 to 24 who binge drink consume an average of 9.3 drinks on an occasion.

Of students ages 18 to 24 who had been drinking:400,000 had unprotected sex; and More than 100,000 reported having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.

Sexually transmitted diseases were contracted by:

2.4 percent of those who had been binge drinking during the past month; and 3.1 percent of those who had been drinking heavily during the past month.

Among college students:46 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions were primarily related to alcohol disorders.

TRENDS IN COLLEGES &

UNIVERSITIESAnnually, among students ages 18 to 24, an estimated:

599,000 are injured while under the influence of alcohol; and1,825 die from alcohol-related injuries, including those from motor vehicle crashes.

Annually, More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem; and1.2–1.5 percent attempt suicide due to alcohol or drug use.

Annually, among students ages 18 to 24, an estimated:3,360,000 drive under the influence of alcohol.

Annually, among students ages 18 to 24, an estimated:696,000 are physically assaulted by another student who has been drinking; and97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults or date rape.

RISK FACTORS

Student stress/depression related to academic pressures

Inadequate substance abuse prevention, intervention, and

treatment on/off campus

“Party school” culture

Easy access to alcohol

on/off campus

Strong sorority presence on

campus

Small campus size

Residential 4-year college

High density of local alcohol outlets

Importance of athletics on

campus

Campus risk factors for underage and excessive drinking:

Protective factors that can help prevent high-risk youths from engaging in delinquency and drug use.

IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

• Everyone needs to work together to change the culture.

• For youth themselves, prevention means understanding the dangers of use, changing how they think about substance use and abuse, and obeying the laws against consumption.

• For educators, prevention means being aware of how school and other social systems—families, students’ peers, the larger community, the media, among others—can affect students’ risks for substance use and abuse.

• It means taking action in a developmentally sensitive way to help students navigate the challenges of college life in positive ways, including rejecting underage alcohol and other substance use consumption.

There is a role for everyone:

IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

• Texas DSHS working in close collaboration with local communities to tailor services and meet local needs for substance abuse prevention.

• Although the PRC Region 8 does not work strategically on environmental changes, the information and data from the Regional Needs Assessment will be instrumental for coalitions and organizations that do.

• The Prevention Resource Center in Region 8 has a strong partnership with the Circles of San Antonio (COSA) Community Coalition and many other community partners.