Preventing Substance Misuse Continues to be a Top Priority in Los Angeles County
Three new contracts awarded to Institute for Public Strategies
LOS ANGELES, February 2, 2022 – The Institute for Public Strategies (IPS) has been awarded three new contracts aimed at reducing alcohol and drug problems in Los Angeles County.
The contracts will expand IPS’s prevention efforts in LA since 2012, engaging communities to prevent substance misuse by addressing its root causes. IPS will target alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine and prescription medication misuse on the Westside of Los Angeles. The project in West Hollywood will focus primarily on preventing methamphetamine use in the LGBTQ+ community, which is disproportionately impacted by meth-related harms.
The new three-year contracts will begin July 1, 2022. IPS’s approach to reducing drug- and alcohol-related problems will include community education, network and coalition building, influencing policy, and changing institutional practices.
IPS is known for its 30-year history implementing population-level prevention programs to improve community health outcomes throughout the U.S. IPS’s substance use-focused prevention programs concentrate on the underlying factors that initiate and elevate substance use, including ease of access, the built environment, community trauma, and lack of childhood opportunity.
“We are eager to continue and expand our work in LA County,” IPS Vice President of Organizational Development, Sarah Blanch said. “We will be integrating more youth into our coalitions and expanding community prevention efforts to create conditions that make problematic substance use less possible and less likely. The best way to accomplish this is by partnering with communities.”
IPS will be integrating multiple community sectors into its LA projects, including policymakers, city staff, faith groups, schools, youth, nonprofits, and social services agencies.
“At IPS, we empower local stakeholders to proactively address community risk factors that contribute to the misuse of alcohol and drugs,” said Blanch, who also oversees the LA office at IPS. “We are committed to partnering with communities to create positive change.”
IPS works alongside communities to build power, challenge systems of inequity, protect health and improve quality of life. IPS has a vision for safe, secure, vibrant and healthy communities where everyone can thrive.
# # #
Contact:
Paul Levikow
Institute for Public Strategies
(619) 476-9100 ext. 112
plevikow@publicstrategies.org
