Connect the dots
Bringing together strengths and strategies for better outcomes.
Campaigns Goal: To highlight the connection of a variety of prevention missions in their efforts to deploy prevention strategies that will address a human’s basic needs, reduce risk factors, increase protective factors, and produce healthy individuals, relationships and communities.
Some Prevention Missions that Share Connections
- Behavioral Health Disorder Prevention
- Child Abuse Prevention
- Mental Health Promotion
- Problem Gambling
- Substance Misuse
- Tobacco & Vaping
- Marijuana
- Prescription Drugs
- Illegal substances
- Underage drinking
- Suicide Prevention
- Violence Prevention
Shared Strengths
Community Ownership
Community-led programs strengthen the capacity of the communities to identify, prevent, and respond to behavioral health and safety issues.
- Cross-sector collaboration
- Community coalitions
- Shared resources
Shared Risk Factors
Risk factors are characteristics at the biological, psychological, family, community, or cultural level that precede and are associated with a higher likelihood of negative outcomes. -SAMHSA
- Barriers to mental health and physical health services
- Financial struggles
- Low self-esteem
- Poor behavioral control/impulsiveness
- Unmet basic needs – food, water, shelter, clothing, warmth, sleep
- Family history of physical or emotional abuse
- Family history of drug use
- Family history of mental health challenges
- Witnessing violence
- Negative peer pressure
- Easy access to drugs and alcohol
- High rate of poverity
- High unemployment
- High rates of violence and crime
- Lack of and poor quality of affordable housing
- Limited mental health and physical health services
Shared Protective Factors
Protective factors are characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of negative outcomes or that reduce a risk factor’s impact. -SAMHSA
- Accessing mental and physical health services
- Basic needs met
- Positive self-esteem
- Problem solving skills
- Exhibiting positive behaviors
- Values & beliefs
- Parental or other caring adults’ involvement
- Interaction with prosocial peers
- Safe environments including home, school, work etc.
- Affection & attachment
- Community programs and services
- Mental health and addiction treatment
- Safe neighborhoods
- Affordable stable housing
- Employment and training
Shared Strategies to Reduce Risks Factors and Increase Protective Factors
- Providing early education and intervention services
- Family and relationship education
- Social emotional skills education
- Delivering recovery & mental health services
- Behavioral health campaigns
- Publishing warning signs and symptoms
- xaProviding information about your mission, available programs and resources for help
- Community ownership
- Access to healthy food and water
- Increase access to mental and physical health services
- Strengthen economic supports
- Safer home, schools and communities