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United Way Drug Abuse Steering Committee
In 2006, the United Way of Hood County (UWHC) Board of Directors authorized a needs assessment survey of Hood County. This was done principally to assist in funds allocation to assure that the biggest needs received priority. Results were provided at a public meeting on April 24, 2007. By far the number one issue identified by Hood County residents was drug abuse. In order to assist the United Way in addressing drug abuse in the county, a committee with diverse membership from the community was established. The committee concluded its work in April 2008 and documented 14 findings and 27 recommendations. The establishment of a Drug Abuse Steering Committee is one of the recommendations.
The following is from the report.
"The societal impact of drug abuse is large. It affects schools, law enforcement, churches, aid agencies, medical and mental health institutions, and more. Each of these organizations has developed some process or program to deal with the challenges that drug abuse creates. An example of this is drug awareness education, which several agencies provide. Most of this is done on an ad hoc basis. A local coordinating function could bring the stakeholders together to develop and execute a comprehensive and coordinated strategic plan. This would eliminate duplication of effort and fill voids in addressing needs. Public policy makers and key stakeholders should have a voice in the development of this strategic plan. It could be a blueprint for aid agencies, United Way funding, aid organization planning, and public and private efforts. It could also be a mechanism for follow-up to recommendations made by this committee as well as a basis for seeking grants.
Leaders of this coordinating function would have to be sensitive to the capabilities and independence of the individual stakeholders. It is a facilitative role, rather than executive. A comprehensive plan that includes all stakeholders should take into account the unique skills and abilities of the contributors, and lead to better use of resources, avoid duplication, and improve results.
Specifically, the UWHC should charter a team of key stakeholders to form a steering committee, reporting to the UWHC Board. This committee is to develop a comprehensive long range drug abuse plan which includes performance measures, and then oversee the execution of the plan. Representation should include law enforcement, school administration, mental health care, health care, counseling, the Ministerial Alliance, and other interested parties."
The committee is expected to meet monthly at a time and day to be determined by the members. Some activities outside of the meeting should be expected; for example, meet with a stakeholder group or facilitate one of the recommendations.
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