Community Prevention

​Members of the Rhode Island Regional Prevention Coalitions work together to provide substance use prevention strategies and mental health resources and advocate for policies that support healthy and safe communities.

RISAS partners with all of Rhode Island’s Prevention Coalitions and proudly administers the Kent and South County Regional Prevention Coalitions, which work to put in place evidence-based programs and policies to help prevent and reduce youth substance use. The vision is to develop a substance use prevention system that fills gaps in services, prioritizes resources, and reduces overlap. 

Kent and South County Regional Prevention Coalitions offer many programs, including: 

The Raising Healthy Teens newsletter offers expert advice on adolescent development, trends that pose risks to teens’ health and safety, and how-to information for parents, teachers, and everyone who works with teens.

Hidden in Plain Sight is a virtual tool that allows parents to look into a simulated bedroom of a teenager. The room is full of common household items that can be used to hide or disguise drug, alcohol, or tobacco use, and other risk behaviors. The tool offers a way to launch a conversation about substance use with teens. 

Project Sticker Shock is a community awareness campaign designed to increase the visibility of and compliance with Rhode Island’s underage drinking laws and discourage those over 21 to provide alcohol to minors. 

For more information about these programs and the Regional Prevention Coalitions.