About Us
Mission
Whitman Hanson WILL is part of a regional collaborative, the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative. Whitman Hanson WILL’s mission is to save lives from substance use and prevent the damage it can do to individuals, families, and the local community.
To do this, we educate young people with accurate information and tools to cope with life’s challenges, and to help them understand the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. We connect individuals and families with the resources they need to become better informed. And we work with leaders in the community to build a system of support in every neighborhood.
History
In 2008, the City of Brockton in partnership with High Point Treatment Center was awarded the MassCALL2 grant with the primary objective of saving the lives of those in the community of Brockton suffering from opiate addiction and to create awareness about opioid overdose prevention.
Today, the city of Brockton’s prevention work has expanded to become the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative, encompassing the towns of Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hanson, Rockland, and Whitman as a regional approach. The Collaborative was the first funded cluster on the south shore of Massachusetts to address the issue of opioid abuse and overdose.
Grants, Funding, and Strategies
Massachusetts Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative (MOAPC)
The MOAPC Grant Program is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MADPH) Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) to address the issue of opioid use and abuse, and fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses in Massachusetts. The purpose of the grant is to implement local policy, practice, systems and environmental change to prevent the use/abuse of opioids, prevent/reduce fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, and increase both the number and capacity of municipalities across the Commonwealth addressing these issues. Additionally, this Program seeks to provide financial support for groups of municipalities to enter into formal, long term agreements to share resources and coordinate activities in order to increase the scope of this work and capacity of municipalities to address these issues among their combined populations.
Please see the MassTAPP website for more information.
Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative (SAPC)
The Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative was awarded the SAPC grant July 1 2015, funded by BSAS, as part of a comprehensive approach to reduce the use and misuse of substances throughout the state. The SAPC grant specifically addresses underage drinking and other drug use from a regional approach. The collaborative towns, with the addition of Bridgewater, home to Bridgewater State University, works to implement strategies that will have a sustained effect on prevention and reducing underage drinking and other drug use and the devastating consequences that can ensue.
Please see the MassTAPP website for more information
Drug Free Communities (DFC) Grant
The Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative was awarded the DFC grant in October 2014 in partnership with the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office under a federal grant sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The primary goals of this grant are to: Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies; as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce prescription opioid and heroin use among youth (18 years and younger). In addition, we aim to reduce prescription opioid and heroin use among youth and, over time, reduce prescription opioid and heroin use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse.
Problem Gambling Prevention: Youth and Parents
The Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services recently launched a prevention initiative utilizing photovoice as a mechanism to raise awareness about underage gambling in Southeastern, MA. This new grant has been awarded to Prevention Services of High Point Treatment Center, which provides the opportunity to educate youth to recognize gambling in all its forms and inform parents about the risks of gambling early in life.
United Way of Greater Plymouth County
The United Way of Greater Plymouth County has provided funding to High Point Treatment Center’s Prevention Services’ community coalitions to address the following initiatives: youth substance use prevention through an annual youth conference; substance use prevention for trades workers through a series of workshops; and development of vaping prevention for youth.
Town of Whitman
The town of Whitman awarded funding to Whitman Hanson WILL to support the coalition in its efforts to conduct outreach and education on the topic of substance use prevention.
