Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP)
Region 6 Local Board
STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2026
FOR
BULLITT, JEFFERSON, OLDHAM,
SHELBY, SPENCER, AND TRIMBLE COUNTIES
Updated January 2022
Narrative
Part A: Summary from Needs and Resource Assessment (following- Elements 1 and 3)
The Region 6 Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY ASAP) Local Board (the Board) includes the metropolitan area of Louisville/Jefferson County and the counties of Bullitt, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble Counties. The region contains a population of 992,165 people as of 2019 and consists of urban, suburban, and rural areas. The Louisville/ Jefferson County metropolitan area is the largest urban center in the State with 766,757 residents. Shifts in population and an interstate highway system that provides good access to Louisville have made Bullitt, Shelby, and Oldham counties suburban in nature, while Spencer and Trimble counties are two of the fastest-growing rural counties in the State. The Region 6 ASAP Board serves 22% of Kentucky’s population.
The Board uses state and local survey data to assess needs related to youth substance abuse prevention as well as other local substance use trends and issues. The Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Student Survey of youth substance abuse was conducted in all six of our member counties in the fall of 2018, marking the first time Jefferson County Public Schools implemented the survey.
As determined by the Board and analysis of data for Region 6, risk factors not adequately addressed in much of the region include: (1) low perceived risk of alcohol, nicotine, and other drug (ATOD) use and lack of consequences for use by all ages; (2) the perceived easy availability of alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs by youth, (3) unmet adolescent and adult prevention, intervention, and treatment needs, and (4) there is a need for easy access to naloxone, the overdose rescue drug. Our region will continue to implement strategies to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth and adults.
Alcohol, nicotine and marijuana use among youth are the problem areas of focus identified in our region in 2022. Data from the KIP survey indicates unacceptable levels of youth substance use, which is a risk factor for addiction later in life.
Because Jefferson County Public Schools participated in KIP for the first time in 2018, it is not statistically valid to compare regional data from previous years. As a result, trend data are not available.
| KIP Survey Data, 10th grade students, 2018 for Region 6 | |
| Substance | Percent using |
| Alcohol use (in the past 30 days) | 12.1 |
| Binge drinking (5 or more drinks in past 2 weeks) | 5.3 |
| E-cigarette use (vaping) | 14.7 |
| Cigarette use (in the past 30 days) | 4.3 |
| Marijuana use (in past 30 days) | 12.1 |
- Opioid misuse and overdose, including heroin and fentanyl, have caused continuing increases in overdose deaths, with a large spike in overdose deaths occurring during the Covid 19 pandemic. Jefferson County continues to lead the state in overdose deaths. The largest increase in overdose fatalities occurred in Jefferson County, where deaths increased from 319 deaths in 2019 to 512 in 2020. Bullitt County also saw a significant increase, from 29 deaths in 2019 to 42 in 2020.
Based on these facts and other analysis, the Board will continue to focus actions and policy related to prevention, intervention, treatment issues, and law enforcement activities. Our region’s strategic plan implementation involves collaboration with law enforcement, schools, health care providers, treatment providers, youth service providers, state and local organizations, and community prevention coalitions to address substance abuse issues in a comprehensive manner. Assistance with research-validated, science-based activities is available to partners to help in choosing approaches based on their own capacity, needs, and resources.
Part B: Coordination, Planning, Funding and Evaluation (Element 2)
Seven Counties Services is the community mental health center for the area and serves as the convening and fiscal agent of the Region 6 KY-ASAP Local Board. This structure helps to ensure an integrative, non-duplicative, and cost-efficient planning process for the region that brings together stakeholders, community groups, local agencies, and other interested parties.
Planning, funding, and evaluation of substance abuse issues and initiatives are coordinated through Seven Counties Services as part of its function as the planning authority for the region; the Board’s goal is to continue to broaden the base of people involved in the Board’s mission. At its formal meetings, the Board will review and update the strategic plan according to an ongoing assessment of needs and resources in the region. The Region 6 Kentucky ASAP Strategic Plan will be monitored and adjusted as it is implemented and will undergo a complete review and update every three to five years.
Multiple prevention funding streams exist within the region, in addition to ASAP-related funds, and include federal block grant dollars coming to the Regional Prevention Center, tobacco settlement dollars through the health departments and funding through the Federal Drug-Free Communities Support Program to local coalitions.
Part C: Widespread Involvement in Prevention Activities (Element 4)
In order to enhance widespread community input, support and engagement, the strategic plan will be implemented in coordination with community and coalition partners throughout the region. Local media, specific to each county, will be used as a vehicle to improve community awareness of local and regional substance abuse issues and initiatives.
PROBLEMS BASED ON NEEDS AND RESOURCES ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
The Region 6 ASAP Board will address its efforts to impact four environmental factors related to substance abuse by youth, abuse by adults and prevention: reducing accessibility of harmful substances of abuse, increasing perception of risk/harm, and increasing community coordination and resources to reduce substance abuse, and increasing community involvement in Board goals.
ACTION AREA 1: ACCESSIBILITY
VISION: A region where alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines are not easily accessible to children and youth, and where fewer adults use and abuse substances.
MISSION: To decrease access to and use of harmful substances of abuse (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines) among children and youth within Region 6. Encourage a reduction of substance use and abuse among adults by providing adequate prevention and treatment resources.
- Problem Statement from needs & resource findings: Accessibility of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines to children and youth is high; therefore, use rates are too high.
Goal 1: Reduce access to and use of harmful substances of abuse (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines) by children and youth in Region 6.
Objective 1.1: By 2025, reduce by 5% the number of students reporting easy to very easy access to harmful substances of abuse (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines)
Objective1.2: By 2025, reduce by 5% the number of students reporting use of harmful substances of abuse, including alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines within the past 30 days.
Goal 2: Reduce nicotine use and abuse of harmful substances by adults. Reduce opioid overdoses and deaths.
Objective 2.1: By 2025, increase by 10% the number of nicotine cessation resources and treatment programs offered and available within Region 6 by December 31, 2025.
Objective 2.2: Increase access to cessation resources and treatment programs available within Region 6 by providing community education, awareness, and information. Increase access by 15% by December 31, 2025.
Objective 2.3: Increase access to and training on naloxone, the overdose rescue drug. Provide community education on the addictive potential of opioids. Increase access by 25% by December 31, 2025.
Strategies/Policies/Activities: The following are potential areas of influence and activity in the implementation of these goals and objectives over a period of 3-5 years.
- MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: The Board will continue to oppose expanding medical use of marijuana beyond cannabidiol oil and is against legalization for recreational use. The Board will take appropriate advocacy actions.
- INCREASE INTERVENTION AND TREATMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The Board advocates for increasing the number of available treatment beds/programs and improving access to them. We support increasing the number of nicotine cessation resources and improving access to them. We support insurance coverage for such programs.
- INFORMATION DISSEMINATION: The Board will continue to support and advocate for dissemination of pertinent research, education and information to community members and organizations, schools, legislators and courts, including social norms campaigns to correct perceptions about the prevalence of and risks associated with use.
- PROVEN PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES: The Board will advocate for and support the use of research-validated, science-based programs and approaches in prevention, intervention, treatment, and law enforcement/justice efforts.
- NALOXONE: The Board will continue to support community education and distribution of and training on the use of naloxone, the overdose rescue drug, to reduce opioid overdoses and deaths. The Board will apply for and manage Kentucky ASAP Harm Reduction grants as available, providing regional coordination and oversight for the successful implementation of such grants.
- TREATMENT: The Board supports efforts geared to addiction recovery versus incarceration and supports harm reduction strategies such as syringe exchange.
- SENTENCING GUIDELINES: The Board supports the modernization of sentencing guidelines and the removal of minimum sentencing requirements.
ACTION AREA 2: REDUCE CHILD AND YOUTH ABUSE OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES BY INCREASING PERCEPTION OF RISK/HARM
VISION: All Region 6 children and youth will have a realistic and healthy perception of the risks of using alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicine, which will result in a reduction in substance use and abuse.
MISSION: Decrease youth use of harmful substances. Increase the use of youth prevention programs and activities in the region with an emphasis on validated prevention approaches to increase the perception of harm/risk from using alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines among youth.
II – Problem Statement from needs and resource findings: Interpretation of data suggests that youth in the region have a lower perception of harm/risk from using alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines than is acceptable for desired protective benefit.
Goal 3: Decrease use of abused substances by increasing youth perception of harm/risk of use.
Objective 3.1: Decrease by 5% the number of students reporting past 30-day use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines by December 31, 2025.
Objective 3.2: Decrease by 5% the number of students reporting binge drinking by December 31, 2025.
Objective 3.3: Increase by 7% the number of students reporting perception of risk use of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, and other abused substances and medicines by December 31, 2025.
Strategies/Policies/Activities: The following are potential areas of influence and activity in the implementation of these goals and objectives over a period of 3-5 years.
- MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: The Region 6 ASAP Board will continue to oppose expanding medical use of marijuana beyond cannabidiol oil and is against legalization for recreational use. The Board will take appropriate advocacy actions.
- COMMUNITY EDUCATION: The ASAP Board will support and participate in the dissemination of pertinent research, education and information to community members and organizations, schools, legislators and courts, including social norms campaigns to correct misperceptions about use and perceived risks. The Board will place special emphasis on education/awareness of the addictive nature of opioids among youth and adults.
- INCREASED LAW ENFORCMENT/JUSTICE EFFORTS. The Board supports increased enforcement efforts in all areas relating to access to addictive substances, including compliance checks and high visibility enforcement designed to influence youth accessibility and perception of risk/harm.
- SMOKE FREE ENVIRONMENTS: The Board supports and advocates for policies that require smoke free environments including schools, homes, public parks and cars. We support a comprehensive ban on nicotine use in public places and favor banning e-cigarette use in public places due to potential harm to health from secondhand smoke and vapor. Banning the use of water pipes in hookah bars is favored by the Board since secondhand smoke from them presents significant health hazards.
- PROVEN PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES: The ASAP Board encourages the use of research-validated, science-based programs and approaches in prevention, intervention treatment and law enforcement/justice efforts. We support community and school-based prevention education/awareness programs that directly involve children and youth in drug-free messaging and activities and early intervention programs.
ACTVITY AREA 3: COORDINATION
VISION: The region will have a comprehensive system for planning, funding, and evaluating prevention, intervention, treatment, and law enforcement/justice programs to ensure a lack of duplication, and an increase in effective coordination and management and a decrease in service gaps.
MISSION: Systematically develop, coordinate, and manage efforts addressing the unique needs of Region 6 and its member counties/communities.
III – Problem statement regarding coordination: A regional system of planning, coordinating, funding and evaluation for prevention, intervention, treatment and law enforcement/justice efforts related to substance abuse continues to develop and requires ongoing maintenance and enhancement to meet current challenges and emerging trends.
Goal 4: Continue implementation of an enhanced and coordinated system of strategic planning and evaluation within the region through the operation of the Region 6 ASAP Local Board and the Region 6 ASAP Executive Committee.
Objective 4.1: By 2025, maintain and enhance the local Board’s efforts to provide a coordinated systematic approach to strategic planning for and implementation of prevention, intervention treatment, and law enforcement/justice programs and services within the region.
Goal 5: Resources will be allocated based on indicators identified through valid needs and resources assessments conducted region-wide in collaboration with community partners.
Objective 5.1: By 2025, fill gaps in services with research-validated, science-based programs and policies.
Objective 5.2: By 2025, complete an updated needs and resources scan in the region.
Strategies/Policies/Activities: The following are potential areas of influence and activity in the implementation of these goals and objectives over a period of 3-5 years.
- STRATEGIC PLANNING: The Board will regularly review and adjust its strategic plan to reflect new information, trends, and issues.
- ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING AND ANALYSIS: The Board will collect and maintain information on existing prevention efforts in the region and identify strengths and gaps.
- FILLING GAPS AND NEEDS: The ASAP Board will work toward filling gaps and needs in the prevention, treatment, and law enforcement/justice arenas, with an emphasis on evidence-based programming.
- LOCAL MINI-GRANTS: The Board will continue a process of filling individual community needs by soliciting, reviewing, and funding mini-grants to various community partners and stakeholders, based on identified needs.
- COMMUNTITY INVOLVEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS: The Board will work to remain inclusive and invite new partners to the table.
- BOARD MAINTENANCE AND GROWTH: The Board will uphold its bylaws and continue to hold quarterly meetings. Membership requirements under state law will be adhered to and new members will be recruited and welcomed. The Board will maintain meeting minutes, budgets, and other Board records required to document progress.
ACTVITY AREA 4: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
VISION: Citizens, youth, communities, schools, youth-serving organizations, local governments, treatment providers, law enforcement organizations, community coalitions, health services providers, and others will take ownership of substance abuse issues and problems and work together toward strategic interventions.
MISSION: To engage a variety of partners and stakeholders in the work of the local Board.
VI – Problem Statement regarding community involvement: There is a continued need for a regional coordinated plan to enhance, expand, and sustain widespread community involvement throughout the six-county region.
Goal 6: To establish a coordinated plan for widespread community involvement.
Objective 6.1: During the period of 2022-2025, the Board and its member organizations will disseminate information to the public through appropriate vehicles on an ongoing basis.
Objective 6.2: During the period of 2022-2025, the Board, through its members and local coalitions, will keep local stakeholders involved with documented participation. Stakeholders will include businesses, faith communities, law enforcement, schools, parents, youth, healthcare providers, government, social service agencies, and justice.
Strategies/Policies/Activities: The following are potential areas of influence and activity in the implementation of these goals and objectives over a period of 3-5 years.
- DISSEMINATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN AND OTHER INFORMATION: The Board members and staff will function as spokespersons on behalf of the Region 6 ASAP Board to distribute the strategic plan through community vehicles to obtain feedback on it. Information on substance abuse trends, issues and interventions will be distributed widely.
- INPUT AND FEEDBACK: The Board will seek community input and feedback on the regional strategic plan.
- COMMUNICATION: The Board will work with local coalitions and stakeholders to identify effective communication vehicles and disseminate appropriate community information.
- ELECTED OFFICIALS: The Board will communicate needed information to elected officials.
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