Collaboration with NotMYkid Arizona

NotMykid (NMK) Arizona, a substance use-related behavioral health organization, received a grant from Maricopa County Department of Health Services to reduce substance use, specifically opioid use disorder by spreading awareness and increasing perception of harm, treatment, and support. With the goal of enhancing hope and resilience NMK’s target population is youth (10-18), parents/ caregivers, and youth-serving professionals in the county. Their efforts are meant to address the root causes of substance use disorders and teach constituents that prevention is effective, and recovery is possible.

NMK teamed up with Partnership to End Addiction in an effort to address and prevent the substance use and addiction issues Maricopa County faces. Together we have leveraged evidence-based prevention strategies and provided informational presentations and trainings to NMK staff and parents in communities across the county. The SVP and director of our prevention services, Dr. Linda Richter and Cori Hammond, traveled to Arizona for a week of collaboration with local officials, panel discussions, and community outreach. While there, Linda and Cori directly engaged with community members and political officials to spread awareness and provide reliable information on substance use, prevention, and treatment, going as far as to announce their efforts on local news. This hands-on collaboration with our Arizona partners reflects our commitment to fostering supportive, educational relationships within the prevention community.

We continue to increase awareness and challenge the stigma on important topics such as prevention, substance use and treatment in at risk communities. We are wrapping up the first year of collaboration with notMykid and looking forward to planning the next year of vital substance use prevention- related work.