PTTC Network's Data Dive

Josh Esrick, Senior Policy Analyst at Carnevale Associates, walks us through the top 10 reasons why substance misuse prevention efforts should begin with a needs assessment: 

§ COMPLIANCE AND FIDELITY TO A BEST PROCESS

· Required by or for a funder.

· First step of the Strategic Prevention Framework

§ DATA

· make sure your work is responsible to community needs

· to have an understand the data that will inform your planning process

· Gives you a baseline for your evaluation.

· SU patterns are changing and strategies aren't as impactful

§ FEASIBILITY

· focus your limited resources to be most useful

· Better understand what you are capability of implementing - Will, readiness that is there with stakeholders

§ STAKEHOLDERS

· helps with communicating as you move through the process. Helps to explain why you chose to focus on MJ vs. alcohol. Helps to explain to those who are not involved.

· Accountability

In this episode, we talk about using data prioritization to focus substance misuse prevention efforts more effectively and efficiently. Using recent prioritization work in New Jersey as an example, we talk about the five key steps of a prioritization process and how they can look in action. We also discuss factors and questions to consider before and during a prioritization process.