Prevention and Early Intervention

Who we are

The Prevention and Early Intervention Unit manages programs, training and technical assistance to support behavioral health services statewide. Our team includes prevention and clinical professionals who have expertise in a wide spectrum of the behavioral health systems of care with specialties in training, community service systems, program development, and community evaluation.

What we do

The Prevention and early Intervention unit strengthens the behavioral health system by helping communities and statewide service providers promote environments that encourage and maintain mental and emotional well-being. The early Intervention teams support systems for phone and web-based crisis care such as 988, drug and alcohol court mandate monitoring, and assistance in community reintegration from prisons.

The upstream prevention team works with community coalitions and statewide partners to implement innovative strategies using the Strategic Prevention Framework and the Icelandic Prevention Model to transform system of care to better support children, families and whole communities to stop problems early and establish easier access to resources for people who need help. 

Programs include:

• Suicide Prevention: Prevention, education and crisis support to prevent suicide. 

• Alcohol Safety Action Program: Working with the courts, clinicians, and community resources to provide education and support to help people make safer choices about drinking. 

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): Information and health service support to prevent and address problems caused by alcohol use during pregnancy. 

• Recidivism Reduction: Initiatives aimed at improving health and public safety outcomes in collaboration with various stakeholders such as law enforcement, community providers, re-entrants and their families.

• Workforce Development: Counselor training and support and paraprofessional and professional screening and intervention skills training.  

• Upstream Prevention Programs: Community and statewide wellness promotion and substance misuse prevention strategies that reduce drug and alcohol misuse and exposure. 

Resources