A Multi-Faceted Approach to Prevention
DAABHS receives federal funding for six major prevention programs that address different populations. We subcontract with large partners—such as MidSOUTH, the training arm of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work, and the Reynolds Institute of Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences—to manage programs and coordinate partnerships with other organizations throughout the state.
Learn more to determine which programs align with your community’s needs.
Substance Abuse Block Grant
Substance Abuse Block Grant coordinates the Save AR Students campaign for youth substance use prevention.
The Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG) is used to plan, implement and evaluate activities that prevent and treat substance abuse. SAMHSA requires that grantees spend no less than 20% of their SABG allotment on substance abuse primary prevention strategies, in other words, intervention before health effects occur.
In Arkansas, the SABG is used to coordinate the Save AR Students Campaign.
SAVE AR STUDENTS
Save AR Students is a week-long awareness campaign to improve substance use prevention in all Arkansas institutions of higher education.
Two campaigns are scheduled each year, one in spring and one in fall at the same time as Arkansas Drug Take Back Days.
Each campaign begins with a kickoff rally on the steps of the State Capitol in Little Rock. Students, mascots, institution administrators and faculty, and state and local officials are invited to attend. Community members, who have been impacted by substance misuse, share testimonies and perspectives on state prevention efforts.
Save AR Students also receives funding through the State Opioid Response III grant.
Watch the Save AR Students news segment here
Arkansas Collegiate Network
Arkansas Collegiate Network provides training and resources to decrease substance use and overdose risks on college campuses.
Reducing Campus Substance Use
In a 2021 assessment, the average age college students reported initiating the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs was 16 to 20 years. Negative effects of college substance use included skipped classes, poor test performance, memory loss, and suicidal thoughts.
The mission of the Arkansas Collegiate Network is to empower campus leaders to be effective in their efforts to address substance misuse among college students. 
The Network provides planning guides and educational materials that raise awareness of risks involved with substance use and enable students to respond to overdoses.
Participating institutions receive overdose response training and are equipped with naloxone (or Narcan) overdose reversal medication. The Network installs “Naloxboxes,” smart cabinets that contain naloxone doses, in strategic locations on campuses.
Representatives from each campus are encouraged to attend the Save AR Student Kickoff events at the Arkansas State Capitol.
For more details about Arkansas Collegiate Network activities, download their 2022 Planning Guide.
Partnerships for Success Grant
The Partnership for Success Grant coordinates agencies in communities throughout the state to provide training and technical support to prevent and reduce substance use for all ages, specifically amongst youth ages 9 to 20 years.
This prevention work is performed by 13 Regional Lead Agencies, which are managed by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the School of Social Work, MidSOUTH Center for Prevention and Training (MidSOUTH).
MidSOUTH has the expertise and capacity to manage a high volume of programs with varying capacities, technical assistance needs, and operational approaches. Their staff oversees the annual renewal application process, scoring, and selection of the Regional Lead Agencies.
First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Grant
First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Grant aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths through training programs and the distribution of overdose reversal medication to first responders or individuals in environments where overdoses are more likely to occur.
Opioid Overdose Awareness and Training
The First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (FR CARA) funds programs to reduce opioid prescription rates and the prevalence of opioid use disorders.
The grant supports overdose prevention and referral services, including distribution and training to use naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose.
Services funded through FR CARA are targeted to 22 counties across the Arkansas Delta.
- Arkansas
- Ashley
- Bradley
- Calhoun
- Chicot
- Clay
- Cross
- Desha
- Drew
- Greene
- Independence
- Jackson
- Lawrence
- Lee
- Mississippi
- Monroe
- Phillips
- Prairie
- Randolph
- St. Francis
- Union
- Woodruff
These three projects receive FR CARA funds:
Arkansas Naloxone Project
Provides education and health literacy training to improve communication between individuals and their doctors. The project also educates first responders on the signs of opioid overdose and how to administer naloxone, an overdose reversal medication. Doses of naloxone are provided to first responders and to families who have previously experienced an overdose.
“Don’t Run Call 911” Media Campaign
A statewide media campaign centered on calling 911 in the event of an overdose. The campaign highlights the danger of opioid misuse and the importance of speaking up about potential substance misuse.
NARCANSAS
A free app, which provides access to training and instruction on life-saving naloxone and services for prevention, treatment, and recovery in Arkansas.
Download the app on Google Play
Download the app on Apple App Store
State Opioid Response III (SORIII)
SORIII trains health providers on safe pain management practices and raises public awareness of risks involved with opioid use.
Reducing Opioid Use and Saving Lives
Arkansas ranks as the second highest state the U.S. in overall opioid prescribing rates, especially for older adults who use Medicare.
Individuals who have a high daily dosage of prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, are more susceptible to overdose and death.
In 2020 there were 546 overdose deaths in Arkansas, most involving opioids. [CDC National Vital Statistics System]
SORIII funds from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are intended to address this crisis. The program improves Arkansas’s continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for opioid use disorder.
The following programs receive funding through SORIII.
Arkansas Improving Multidisciplinary Pain Care Treatment (AR-IMPACT)
A weekly interactive video conference providing free provider education credit for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists. The goal of AR-IMPACT is to help Arkansas health providers manage chronic pain patients through opioid-sparing modalities. AR-IMPACT was developed in partnership with UAMS, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield and Office of the Drug Director/DAABHS, and the Arkansas Department of Health.
Visit UAMS for information on times and weekly conference access.
Opioid Prevention for Aging and Longevity (OPAL)
A program that teaches senior adults and their healthcare providers about opioid pain medications, non-opioid pain medications, and integrative medicine therapies like tai chi, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and other therapies for the management of chronic pain. This program is operated by the UAMS Reynolds Institute on Aging in collaboration with the nine Centers on Aging, nursing facilities served by UAMS, and community clinics.
Visit the UAMS OPAL site to learn more about their activities.
Arkansas Naloxone Project
Provides in-person and online training to improve communication between individuals and their health care providers. The project also trains first responders about overdose response and the administration of naloxone, a medication to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. This project is operated by the Criminal Justice Institute.
“Don’t Run Call 911”
Is a media campaign focused on the importance of calling 911 in the event of an overdose. It educates the public about the Joshua Ashley-Pauley Act “Good Samaritan” law in Arkansas. SORIII funds this campaign in the counties listed below in partnership with the Blue and You Foundation.
SORIII funds and programs are targeted toward 18 Arkansas counties with a high prevalence of opioid misuse.
- Clark
- Columbia
- Conway
- Dallas
- Fulton
- Grant
- Howard
- Lafayette
- Little River
- Madison
- Montgomery
- Nevada
- Newton
- Perry
- Polk
- Searcy
- Sevier
- Yell
Stop Stigma
Stop Stigma is a public awareness campaign to eliminate negative perceptions of substance use disorders and to remove barriers to treatment.
Changing Language and Perceptions
The stigma of drug and alcohol hinders our work to create a healthier Arkansas. Labels such as “junkie,” “addict” and “druggie” damage individuals’ self-image and become barriers to seeking treatment.
Substance use disorders are not a choice. They are chronic diseases—similar to diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis. And like other diseases, they can be treated medically.
The mission of the Arkansas Stop Stigma campaign is to encourage individuals to examine their attitudes and adjust the language they use to talk about substance use disorders
Examples of Stigma
Negative Comments
- “Once a junkie, always a junkie”
- “You’re not fit to be a parent.”
Common Misperceptions
- Substance use disorders are a personal choice.
- Substance use disorders are signs of human weakness or a lack of morals.
- Substance use disorders are the result of poor parenting.
Social Restrictions
- People in recovery with children have experienced other parents unwilling to let their children play at their schoolmate’s homes.
Penalization
- Some communities view substance use disorders as a crime, which must be penalized, rather than a disease that needs treatment.
The Stop Stigma campaign has produced a suite of products that you can share in your community. These products include videos, social media images, posters, buttons, and mirror cards.
Examples of Changing Language from Negative to Neutral
| Negative | Neutral |
|---|---|
| Addict, Drug abuse | Person with substance use disorder |
| Alcoholic | Person with alcohol use disorder |
| Drug problem, drug habit | Substance Use Disorder |
| Drug abuse | Drug misuse, Harmful use |
| Clean | Abstinent, Not actively using |
| Dirty | Actively using |
| Former/reformed addict/alcoholic | Person in recovery, Person in long-term recovery |
