Substance use prevention

Challenge

Substance use starts early — and so should prevention. More than 30% of L.A. County high school students have reported using e-cigarette products — 10% use them regularly (up 6.4%). Vaping is just one dangerous substance being used by youth — according to the CDC, 53% of high-school students in Los Angeles County report using alcohol, 35% report using marijuana, 10% report using prescription drugs, and 5% report using cocaine and MDMA.

Solution

We partner with government agencies, clinicians, students and communities to educate youth and decrease teenage substance use. When vaping reached epidemic proportions in Los Angeles public schools, we joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to provide training to Wellness Network clinicians on how vaping impacts youth and what they can do about it. We also partnered with the California Community Foundation, CHLA and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation on substance use prevention, deploying the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) method at five Wellness Centers, reaching nearly 2,700 students. The L.A. Trust knows the best way to treat a health issue is to treat it early — or better yet, before it starts.

Resources