2025 Prevention Summit update
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Annual Prevention Provider Meeting and Prevention Summit will tentatively be held on Monday, October 27 through Wednesday, October 29 in Tacoma, WA. Exact venue and "save the date" to be shared soon. Stay tuned for more information on registration and call for presentations!
Prevention award nominations due soon
July 31 is the final day to submit nominations for the 2025 Prevention Awards of Excellence. The awards recognize professionals, community members, youth, and Coalitions for their exemplary contributions to substance abuse prevention, problem gambling prevention, mental health promotion, and the health of their communities.
Please don’t let excellence go unrecognized. Take time now to celebrate and focus statewide attention on prevention work.
New position at Health and Human Services
After years of advocacy, the position of Senior Advisor for Indian Health to the Secretary of Health and Human Services has been created. Mark Cruz from the Klamath Tribes is the first-ever appointee to this important role and influencing Federal policy and decision-making. More details are in the announcement from the National Indian Health Board.
NIHB Outstanding Service Award nominations close July 18
Act now to submit a nomination for one of the National Indian Health Board’s annual service awards. Nominations are due by Friday, July 18. These awards honor individuals, organizations, and programs whose work has gone above and beyond in advancing the health and well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The four award categories include:
- Area/Regional Health Warrior Award
- Jake Whitecrow Lifetime Achievement Award
- Advocate of the Year Award
- Next Generation Award
For more information on awards criteria and submitting nominations, please email the NIHB Awards Committee or call (202) 507-4070.
Opioid Summit registration now open
Reserve your space now for the 2025 Peaks to Coast: United Opioid and Polysubstance Response Summit. The event will be held virtually on September 4 and 5, 2025
The summit provides a unique blend of educational opportunities and networking avenues for professionals dedicated to addressing opioid and polysubstance use disorders in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
New Focus On social videos featuring real teens
The Focus On underage drinking prevention campaign is currently running an exciting youth user-generated content video project! An extension of our animated social series, the As Told By Teens videos will feature real Washington teens’ answers to top-of-mind questions about underage drinking prevention and mental health, like “What brings you joy?” and “Why is prevention important to you?”. Check out our Instagram, Facebook, and partner toolkit (password: FocusOnYou) for our first videos.
BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit
Get the resources you need to spark conversations and help improve mental health among black, indigenous, and people of color with Mental Health America’s 2025 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit.
Prevention spotlight
Council for Drug Free Youth, White Center/North Highline
The Council for Drug Free Youth's (CDFY) first-year Student Assistance Professional (SAP), Anita, engaged with ten students at Cascade Middle School throughout the school year. The students named themselves "Rising Above.” At the end of the year, the students hosted a celebration and CDFY’s coalition members donated food and prizes. The celebration concluded with a circle where the students could share their personal testimonies and what they learned while being in the group. It was clear that Miss Anita made a difference in their lives. In addition, the coalition coordinator and SAP found they’d helped one another in personal development, data management, and effective communication.
 CDFY's "Rising Above" student group
Concrete Resource Coalition
In Concrete, WA, several families–a total of 26 people–graduated from the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) in March, after completing more than 17 hours of training over a seven-week period. SFP is an evidence-based family skills training program for parents, caregivers, and youth that teaches parenting, life, and refusal skills to increase family protective factors and reduce individual and family risk factors associated with later substance misuse, mental health problems, and delinquency. Facilitation was provided through a joint effort by SAPs from ESD 189 and coalition members.
Learn more about the Concrete Resource Coalition.
 March graduates of Concrete's Strengthening Families Program
April 2025 National Drug Take Back Day results
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the past National Take Back Day on April 26, 2025. The Drug Enforcement Administration has shared the results of the event, which can be viewed under the “April 2025" dropdown.
This year was the 28th National Take Back Day, with the state of Washington hosting a total of 61 collection sites. In total, Washington collected 5,094 pounds of prescription drugs.
New trainings to debut at CADCA mid-year
CADCA is debuting two new trainings at their mid-year conference this month:
- Understanding what makes us healthy
- Youth engagement for adults
Learn more
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