New Mexico Office of Border Health

Southwest Regional Substance Abuse Collaborative

Vision Statement

We envision a region of prevented and reduced substance abuse and chemical dependency and the harmful effects associated with these behaviors.

Mission Statement

The Regional SAC shall facilitate a regional effort to prevent and decrease substance abuse and other harmful high risk behaviors by linking resources to needs in a strategic and shared plan of action

General Membership

Any community member or community coalition member in Region 5 who has an interest in decreasing substance abuse is eligible for membership in the Regional SAC

Geographic Area

The geographic area includes Counties that often focus on underage and binge drinking, methamphetamine, suicide, teen pregnancy, violence, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, sexual assault, suicide prevention, violence and bullying and DWIs. Members of the Southwest Regional Substance Abuse Collaborative are agencies and organizations across all ten counties as well as El Paso, that deal with the prevention of behavioral health issues such as substance abuse and co-occurring mental illness that is often associated. Participation includes local governments as well as State and Federal Agencies.

Strategies

Developing regional partnerships between community agencies, community leaders and policy makers with shared resources, shared vision and shared goals.
Developing a network of communities who focus on regional substance abuse and other high-risk behavioral health issues by developing a continuum of prevention, intervention and treatment services.
Developing capacity for youth organizations within schools and communities by providing youth resiliency and leadership skill training and encouraging youth to be involved with the local health councils as they model positive and healthy lifestyles for other kids.
Developing community capacity through substance abuse and behavioral health educational workshops.
Develop and promote a comprehensive positive youth leadership curriculum/program to decrease negative behaviors in teenagers.

Actions

Establish a link between the Substance Abuse Collaborative and each of the County Health Councils
Establish an annual Spring Substance Abuse Symposium
Establish a youth component to the SAC and when funding is available, implement a Youth Summit on a “hot topic” and hold a Youth Leadership Retreat.
The SAC will assist local communities with youth resiliency issues by providing a comprehensive positive youth development curriculum, TEENS Listening to TEENS, free of charge to all those adult professions who wish to become instructors.
Southwest Regional Substance Abuse Collaborative will assist local health councils with substance abuse issues through grant funds and other technical assistance and support.
Train-the-Trainer workshops in regional locations to spread the TEENS Listening to TEENS program throughout the border region and Region V.
Establish education for coalition and organizational Capacity Building for members of the SAC; education on community assessment, data collection, strategic planning, implementation and evaluation.

Representative Health Councils

Catron County Health Council

Grant County Community Health Council

Hidalgo County Health Consortium

Lincoln County Health Council

LUNA Health Council

Otero County Community Health Council

Sierra Community Unite for Quality Living Health Council

Socorro County Options, Prevention and Education (SCOPE)

Partnership for a Healthy Torrance County

Dona Ana County Alliance, Prevention & Education Committee (PEC)

History

The New Mexico Border Health Council approved the formation of a committee on substance abuse in August of 2001, and it was called the Substance Abuse Collaborative, or the SAC. The regional organization has encountered changes since it’s inception when, in July of 2004 it merged with the State sponsored Region III organization under a charter defining the purpose of the merger. At this time the additional “Southwest Regional” was added to the official name of the organization. In July 2005, the region once known as Region III, became Region V with two additional counties added to a total of ten. The geographic area includes border counties that often work together, including coalitions in El Paso and Juarez, on issues such as underage cross border binge drinking and ordinance development. Representatives to the Advisory Board of the Southwest Regional Substance Abuse Collaborative are selected by each the local County Health Councils. These representatives are the voting members on Officers. Membership includes agencies and organization across all ten counties as well as El Paso. The SAC has elected to focus on all behavioral health issues that are often seen when substance abuse is in play. Teen suicide and pregnancy, underage drinking and illegal drugs, and dating and gang violence are now included in the focus of the SAC.

Events