RD354 - Annual Report of the Governor's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention


Executive Summary:
The Governor's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (GOSAP) is authorized under §2.2-118, Code of Virginia, enacted by the 2000 Virginia General Assembly. The responsibilities of GOSAP are "to assist in the coordination of substance abuse prevention activities of the Commonwealth, review substance abuse prevention expenditures by agencies of the Commonwealth, and determine the direction and appropriateness of such expenditures."

GOSAP laid the foundation for a strong prevention infrastructure at the state level by organizing the GOSAP Collaborative in 2002, by achieving consensus on a cross-agency strategic plan for prevention and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) setting forth prevention principles and standards to which all thirteen state agencies with prevention responsibilities have agreed. The GOSAP Collaborative has served as the primary vehicle for prevention system planning and collaborative decision-making at the state level and serves as a model of effective interagency collaboration.

Recognizing the GOSAP Collaborative’s significant accomplishments, Governor Timothy Kaine formally established the GOSAP Collaborative in Executive Directive 4 (2006). Executive Directive 4 (2006) grants the GOSAP Collaborative powers and duties in three areas: 1) collaboration to enhance capacity, improve efficiency and produce results; 2) infrastructure to sustain and integrate prevention practice; and 3) data to target resources and monitor results. The Director of GOSAP serves as the chair of the GOSAP Collaborative and all state agencies in the Commonwealth are charged with cooperating with the GOSAP Collaborative and providing information, data, and other support requested.

The activities of GOSAP and the GOSAP Collaborative in 2007 focused in large measure on carrying out responsibilities set forth in Executive Directive 4 (2006). Of particular note are a study of the feasibility of a statewide youth survey and the compilation of an epidemiological profile of substance use in Virginia. A central finding of the study was the lack of youth survey data constitutes a severe information gap that impedes data-driven management of Virginia’s limited prevention resources at both the state and local levels. As one of only four states lacking such data, Virginia stands at a marked disadvantage in competing for federal prevention dollars. The epidemiological profile began to document patterns of consumption of various types of substances and to show trends over time, but revealed serious limitations in Virginia’s data. Specifically, the lack of local level survey data severely impairs data-driven resource allocation from the state to Virginia’s diverse localities and fails to inform prevention planning at local levels where most prevention efforts are implemented. Another significant finding emerging from the profile was the high prevalence of underage drinking in Virginia. Based on these findings, the GOSAP Collaborative has been charged by the Governor with responsibility for undertaking a statewide underage drinking initiative that will be implemented in 2008.

In addition to providing leadership for state-level collaboration and strengthening Virginia’s prevention infrastructure, GOSAP has continued to develop local prevention capacity. Key activities in 2007 included the Prevention Comes First statewide prevention conference, the Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project (YADAPP), and Prevention Through Information (PTI) regional workshops designed to strengthen the capacity of schools and communities to use school discipline, crime, and violence data for school safety and prevention program planning. Additionally, GOSAP continues to conduct regional workshops for potential grantees as well as grantee training in grant management and evaluation, these workshops are designed to improve the capacity of local organizations to develop proposals and manage grants effectively.

GOSAP has continued to improve valuable information resources being provided to prevention professionals and the broader community. Key tools and resources are the GOSAP website, the Virginia Community Profile Database and the newly released Prevention Comes First “Parent Guide to Personal Safety for Youth.” The GOSAP website serves as a one-stop site for information on prevention in Virginia. The Virginia Community Profile Database is a web-based interactive tool that supports evidence-based prevention practices by providing easy access to a variety of community-level data and prevention resources. It can assist state and local prevention professionals, service providers, and other community organizations in assessing prevention needs, targeting resources, and planning services for youth and families to combat substance abuse, violence, and other problem behaviors. The Prevention Comes First “Parent Guide to Personal Safety for Youth” provides parents with a greater awareness about many safety threats to children and assists them in communicating with their children about personal safety.

In addition to its state leadership responsibilities, GOSAP administers two programs that award grants directly to communities. The Governor’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program supports evidence-based programs to prevent youth drug use and violence. Evaluations demonstrate that funded programs produced reductions in risky behavior, in disciplinary referrals, and in reductions in bullying and improvements in behavior and grades. The Governor’s Youth Community Service and Civic Engagement Program supports local efforts to engage youth at risk for gang involvement in meaningful service to their communities. In the first nine months, more than 400 youths performed nearly 7,000 hours of service in a broad range of community agencies and organizations. Importantly, feedback from both youth participants and community organizations has been strongly and consistently positive, providing evidence of benefits to both youths and communities.

Consistent with its statutory responsibilities, Governor Kaine’s Executive Directive 4 (2006), and building upon substantive recent achievements, GOSAP will continue to provide leadership and coordination of the Commonwealth’s prevention activities. The powers and duties granted to the GOSAP Collaborative in the Governor’s Executive Directive 4 (2006) provide the primary blueprint for future action. In addition to these activities, GOSAP will continue to focus on building local prevention capacity and supporting local prevention efforts through training, informational resources and tools, and prevention grant programs.