Prevention
Touchstone Health Services was awarded a five-year, 1.5 million dollars grant from the Office of Population Affairs, Department of Human and Health Services to provide comprehensive, multi-faceted teen pregnancy prevention programs in seventeen zip codes across Avondale, Tolleson, Goodyear, Litchfield Park and parts of Glendale, Buckeye, and Phoenix. The grant looks to advance equity in adolescent health through the replication of evidence-based programs (EBPs) and services. Touchstone looks to service over 22,000 youth, over 7,900 adults (parents/caregivers) with EBPs, and over 3,100 community members with training.
Prevention also provides partners with professional development training on diverse topics such as Youth Mental Health First Aid, Trauma-Informed Approaches, Resilience, Empathy, and more.
For more information regarding current programing including our youth leadership council, CARE Coalition, etc.
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Prevention hopes to continue providing education and resources to other communities in the valley with future funding opportunities.
Within the grant Touchstone also oversees the CARE Coalition which is a group of collaborating community members, youth, local agencies, schools, and other invested individuals that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents in the West Valley. The mission of the CARE Coalition is to unite, inform, and empower the community to make a positive impact on youth in the West Valley through collaborative planning and action, and foster a community that is informed, caring, and driven to ensure youth well-being.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Capacity Building Assistance
Project AWARE
Our program is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and designed to improve the quality of life for youth between the ages of 12 and 18 in the Southwest Valley of Metropolitan Phoenix, through the deployment of a core group of individuals trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). YMHFA educates those who interact with youth on signs and symptoms of mental health problems, the importance of early intervention and how to help youth who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The goal is to train over 600 individuals in the community, schools and other providers in the service area to improve the mental health awareness and connection to resources in the community.
Healthy Relationships Program
Touchstone’s Healthy Relationships Program aims to reduce and prevent teen dating violence in the Avondale community by increasing awareness, providing education, and linking youth to resources. Under this grant, Touchstone implements an evidence-based program with individuals using the Safe Dates curriculum. Touchstone staff provides training for adults on warning signs and how to intervene with youth when necessary. We also disseminate educational media campaigns through the West Valley View, Facebook, Instagram, etc., that are aimed at both the Avondale community as well as other communities within the West Valley. This grant is funded by the City of Avondale Contributions Assistance Program.
Drug Education and Prevention
Touchstone’s Drug Education and Prevention grant targets youth (ages 10-19) and adults caring for youth in the Southwest Phoenix Valley, which includes Avondale, Tolleson, and Goodyear. This program utilizes a multi-faceted approach to address youth substance use by incorporating substance use education for youth and caretakers (Rx 360), family-based substance use education (Families in Action), and community awareness (CARE Coalition & public awareness campaign).
The programs three goals include:
- Increase caregiver and youth anti-drug use attitudes and perception of risk/harm of abusing alcohol and controlled substances.
- Increase parental/guardian skills.
- Increase public awareness of the risks/harm of youth alcohol, controlled drug use, and Rx drug misuse.