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Programs

Our Community Work

The HPW Coalition works to prevent substance use, improve mental health, and create a drug-free community for Alachua County with three main methods: Reducing access to drugs, educating youth and families, and providing alternative activities. Visit the sections below to learn more about our strategies and programs.

                                                    Access

 By reducing access to alcohol, prescription medications and other substances, we can prevent youth substance use. This includes access both in the community and at home. 

  • TIPS is a national alcohol vendor training program that is tailored for each state. This course is taught online at your own pace, HPW Coalition will cover the cost of this course for any alcohol-serving businesses or employees. Sign up using the link below or contact HPW directly to learn more.

                   

                                                                    TIPs Registration              About TIPS

  • To increase enforcement of alcohol sale laws, compliance checks are conducted with volunteer youth in their late teens. These youth attempt to purchase alcohol underage with law enforcement nearby for their safety. This allows law enforcement to find alcohol vendors that don’t check IDs and increase overall awareness around reducing underage alcohol sales. 

                                                           

  • DEA Drug Take Back Days provide a safe, convenient, and anonymous method of disposing unwanted and unused prescription medications. These takebacks are coordinated with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to have a deputy present at each drop site with events occurring each April and October. Locations rotate each year so visit our social media to learn more!

                                                                   

  • Deterra bags are a safe, at-home method of drug disposal. By adding patches, pills, and liquids to the bag and then adding water, the carbon inside the bag makes the medication safe to dispose of. This prevents medications from being flushed into our water supply. Contact HPW to learn more about Deterra bags and how you can access these for free.

                       

                                               

                                                    Education

Raising community awareness about the risks of substance use, providing tips and tools to parents, offering coping skills to youth, and more.

  • As an educational tool, the HPW Coalition developed multiple Escape Rooms as a virtual activity for youth, adults, and parents to learn more about the risks of substance use and mental health. These activities are centered around alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse with themes such as Marvel, Clue, Star Wars, and more. Follow the links below!

 

                            Alcohol       Marijuana     Prescription Drugs      Vaping       Mental Health

                                                         

                                                                            

  • Parents have a major influence on youth. They can provide guidance on what is acceptable, intervene when they are concerned, and educate youth on substance use. By providing tools and resources such as Parent Handbooks, alcohol tamper-proof seals, locking medication bottles, and SAMHSA’s “Talk, They Hear You” mobile app, HPW can empower parents to discuss substance youth with their children and set boundaries. By understanding the risks of new and emerging substances such as fentanyl and concentrated marijuana products, parents can be more involved and engaged in keeping their children safe. 

                                                               

  • Hosting media campaigns is a vital means to educate and raise awareness in the community. This includes a wide range of topics such as tailgating, social hosting with alcohol, DUIs, prescription drug disposal, and more. In the past, HPW has conducted media campaigns through social media posts, billboard designs, RTS bus campaigns and radio PSAs. 

                                                                   

  • An educational session for elementary, middle, and high school students where School Resource Officers build a relationship with students by educating them about the potential consequences of breaking the law as well as the health effects of using alcohol, marijuana, vaping, and other drugs. In the Summer of 2023, the Coalition is updating the Know the Law book to remain current on laws and regulations in Florida. 

 

                                                                             

  • This is an opportunity for community members to raise their concerns and discuss the problems they see in their local areas, as well as learn from speakers and panelists about current drug trends. These Town Hall events typically include youth and adult sessions, raffle prizes and a free meal. Previous town halls have occurred at Gainesville High School to raise awareness about drug use among youth.

  • To address the needs of different community groups such as parents, college students, high/middle school students, and community partners, HPW provides tailored presentations upon request that be adjusted to the knowledge level and interests of each group. Contact HPW directly to discuss hosting a presentation on substance use and mental health. 
  • Sticker Shock is a media campaign that is used across the country by community organizations like HPW. The goal of this program is to “shock” readers with surprising facts or statistics to either change their opinion on an issue or make them more aware of the risks. HPW has several campaigns focusing on social hosting with alcohol (adults over 21 providing alcohol underage such as parents) and reducing peer pressure among youth to drink. HPW is expanding the current sticker shock campaigns to address college students at the University of Florida. Contact HPW to learn how your business can get involved with Sticker Shock!

 

  • The HPW Youth Summit takes place in the summer with middle and high school students. Students learn through traditional teaching methods as well as hands-on activities and games such as escape rooms. By keeping youth engaged, we can help them gain important skills as well as provide valuable information about substance use and mental health

                                            

                                          Alternative Activities

Instead of using substances for fun, youth can participate in alternative activities that can be engaging such as kickball games, arts and crafts, etc.

 

 

  • The Run for Your Life 5K is an annual, family-friendly color run event designed to honor those affected by the opioid crisis and raise awareness by educating community members in Alachua County. This event includes warm-up exercises from gym instructors, raffle prizes, free breakfast and more!  

                                 

                                        The 7th Annual 5K Color Run will take place in September, 2025.

                                                           

  • FNDR is a program designed to teach youth that there are activities they can participate in, such as concerts and football games, rather than drinking alcohol or using drugs to have fun. In the past, the Coalition has partnered with organizations such as Girls Place to host Friday Night Done Right, and we would be happy to partner with other community organizations to host more events!
  • As part of our main demographic, the youth coalition is an important aspect of reaching youth in our community. Members of the youth coalition provide feedback on campaigns, flyers, and new programs. They also contribute to our mission by educating their peers on the risks surrounding substances and the warning signs of mental health issues. We welcome middle and high school students to learn more and join our youth coalition!

 

 

                                                                               Join the Youth Coalition!

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Surveys
Surveys include four versions: two youth surveys, one adult and parent survey, and an alcohol survey for those under the age of 21. These surveys are vital to help HPW understand the current trends and largest concerns facing youth and families. By completing these surveys, you can also qualify for community service hours. Please reach out to HPW at info@hpwcoalition.org to receive credit for community service hours.
Youth Qualitative:
Youth Quantitative:
Adult/Parent:
STOP/Alcohol:
Escape Room
As an educational tool, HPW developed multiple virtual Escape Room activities for youth, adults, and parents to learn more about the risks of substance use. These activities are centered around alcohol, marijuana, mental health, and prescription drug use with themes such as Marvel, Clue, and Harry Potter..
Marvel: (Alcohol)
Clue: (Prescription Drugs)
Harry Potter 1: (Marijuana)
Harry Potter 2: (Marijuana Pt.2)
Star Wars: (Mental Health)
TIPs Training
TIPs is an alcohol vendor training program that is completely free to residents of Alachua County. The purpose is to teach convenience store clerks, bartenders and other employees who sell alcohol, how to properly check IDs and other important skills. Please contact HPW at info@hpwcoalition.org to get access to this course for free. 
https://www.gettips.com/
Know the Law
An educational program for middle and high school students where students learn about the potential consequences of breaking the law as well as the health effects of using alcohol, marijuana, and other substances including vaping. Some topics covered include sexting, battery, grand theft and possession. Know the Law can be administered at schools as well as afterschool programs, please reach out to HPW to schedule your next event!
DEA Drug Take Back Day

DEA Drug Take Back Days provide a safe, convenient, and anonymous method of disposing of unwanted, expired or unused prescription drugs. These events are coordinated with law enforcement agencies such as the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office with a deputy present at each drop site. Take Back Days occur each April and October with multiple sites across Alachua County.

https://www.dea.gov/takebackday

Deterra
The HPW Coalition distributes Deterra drug disposal bags within Alachua County in partnership with local agencies to reduce access to prescription medication and raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. Each biodegradable pouch can dispose of pills along with liquids and patches. Reach out to HPW to learn more about how you can get access to Deterra bags for free.
Compliance Checks
HPW partners with Florida Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco as well as local law enforcement to conduct periodic compliance checks with youth. During this process, youth try to purchase alcohol underage and determine if their IDs will be properly checked by bartenders or liquor store clerks. Businesses that fail compliance checks are given notices and encouraged to complete Responsible Vendor Trainings. HPW is always looking for youth volunteers to participate in this activity!
Sticker Shock

 Designed as an educational campaign, HPW places stickers with information that might not be well known or could be “shocking” to the community on beer cases and liquor. Posters and handouts with the same information are placed on locations such as liquor store windows to spread awareness. Topics can cover social hosting laws and statistics on underage drinking. Please contact HPW if you know of a liquor store that would want to get involved in this campaign!

Run for Your Life 5K
The Run for Your Life 5K is a family-friendly color run event designed to honor those affected by the opioid use crisis and raise awareness by educating community members in Alachua County. It also serves as a fundraiser for HPW’s mission in the community. This event takes place each September at Depot Park in Gainesville, FL.
Friday Night Done Right (FNDR)
FNDR is a program designed to teach youth that there are safe activities they can participate in, such as concerts and football games, instead of drinking alcohol or using drugs during the weekends to have fun. In the past, the Coalition has partnered with organizations such as Girls Place to host Friday Night Done Right, and is happy to partner with other community organizations to host more events!
Town Hall and Youth Summits
This is an opportunity for community members to raise their concerns and discuss the problems they see in their local areas, as well as learn from speakers and panelists about current drug trends. Previous town halls have occurred at Gainesville High School to raise awareness about drug use among youth. HPW has also partnered with local agencies to host Youth Summit trainings and provide educational in-person activities such as the mobile escape room challenge.
Prevention Trailer
The trailer is a mobile unit with educational resources and activities that can be used at local community events. It has plenty of resources for both parents and youth including Fatal Vision Goggles that allow you to see different levels of alcohol impairment. The trailer can be an asset at both indoor and outdoor events, please contact HPW to have it available at your next event.
Presentations
HPW can offer tailored presentations to your community organization or agency covering a wide range of topics: Substance use trends and rates, mental health, COVID’s impact on substance use, the health effects of substances and more. HPW can present at community meetings and other local events, please contact the Coalition to learn more.
Parent Toolkit
HPW offers a parent toolkit with resources and information such as the Operation Parent Handbook, alcohol tape, Treatment Resource Guide, meditation apps and more! Please reach out to HPW to find out how you can get your toolkit and other parent resources.
Media Campaigns
HPW is always seeking new ways to host media campaigns. In the past, the Coalition has placed media campaigns about alcohol use on the side of RTS buses to educate High School and College Students as it drives through campus. HPW has also installed a number of billboards across Alachua County and is currently planning to create PSAs with youth to educate their peers.