Substance Use Prevention Coalition meets for spring updates
[May 18, 2026]
The Substance Use Prevention Coalition met at Lincoln Memorial
Hospital on Thursday May 14 to share updates regarding key interviews
and from partner organizations. The mission of the SUPC is to promote
awareness of substance use disorder, prevent youth substance abuse, and
improve access to resources.
The meeting began by reviewing the results of the key informant
interviews conducted over the last months to assess perceived prevalence
of substances at area schools and how SUPC members could provide help
and education.
Currently vapes and marijuana were reported as the most prevalent
substances with influence from social media and peers. Interviewees were
asked what trainings and behavioral health topics would be helpful.
Members discussed how to provide the education and training suggested by
interview participants as well as how to provide funding for the
training.
Ideas discussed included: The National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children offers training for social media safety and how to recognize
predatory online behaviors and threats. Prevention First has self-paced
training. Posters in high school hallways and restrooms are reported by
students as visible. Stanford Medicine has many good resources and
infographics. Illinois Association of Behavioral Health has resources
such as posters and toolkits available for free including Generation
Lead targeted to youth.
Support for bringing Hidden in Plain Sight has hit roadblocks in finding
a site. This initiative is an educational tool for parents and guardians
which stages a teen bedroom and trains participants in identifying
likely places for hiding substances. The SUPC discussed outfitting their
own site.
Tall Cop is still being planned for substance use prevention training in
2027. Members discussed potential sources for funding.
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Prevention Specialists finished teaching the “Too Good for Drugs”
prevention curriculum at Lincoln Junior High School the first week
of May. They are also dropping off anti-vaping posters at area
schools. The Illinois Youth survey has been completed by four
schools in Logan County. Data reports will be available in
September. The second week of May is Prevention Week at schools.
Elkhart public library now has naloxone and
fentanyl testing strips. Every library in Logan County now stocks
naloxone. Naloxone is also available free of charge at Family Custom
Cleaners in Lincoln and at the Logan County Department of Public
Health.
The Railer Reach Out high school text campaign is expanding from
Lincoln Community High School to Hartsburg-Emden and Mt. Pulaski
high schools. Organizers are holding focus groups currently and this
summer with plans to launch in the fall at these two schools.
The new Bridge Deflection program has been very successful since its
launch in Lincoln earlier this year with over 40 police referrals
since February. The Bridge Deflection program aims to offer
substance users alternatives to the justice system.
Memorial Health’s Mindful Miles May walking challenge has over
74,000 miles walked as of May 14. There are 1,757 participants
region wide. Enrollment is continuous throughout the month of May on
the Pacer app.
The next SUPC meeting is June 11 at LMH and via Zoom at 9 a.m. The
next Community Health Collaborative meeting is on June 4 in-person
only at LMH at 8:30 a.m.
[Stephanie Hall]
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