RD527 - Virginia Office for Substance Abuse Prevention 2016 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (VOSAP), primarily operating as the VOSAP Collaborative, is pleased to report on substance abuse prevention efforts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VOSAP representation spans four Secretariats including: Education, Health and Human Resources, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Transportation. External to state government, VOSAP partners with community coalitions and numerous other organizations that promote health, safety and wellness.

The VOSAP Collaborative continues to promote and support data-driven prevention planning, evidence-based prevention programming, capacity development, and formal data-driven evaluation. Beginning in 2016, the VOSAP Collaborative serves as the Advisory Committee for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Partnership for Success Grant administered through Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services’ Office of Behavioral Health Wellness. Increasingly, VOSAP discussions have broadened to include mental health impacts and root causes of substance abuse, the need for additional parent education and the relationship between the prevention and recovery communities. During meetings of the VOSAP Collaborative, agency representatives reported on individual and joint projects related to prevention, and identified ways to further support their shared mission to promote health and safety in the Commonwealth. In 2016 particular attention was paid to: promoting SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework model, workforce development initiatives, and support for the Virginia State Epidemiology Workgroup. Office of the Secretary of Health & Human Resources Policy Advisor Jodi Manz, MSW joined the Collaborative to provide a direct link to the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse.