Prevention

BSCS’ continuum of care begins with our longstanding and deep commitment to primary and secondary prevention services. We firmly believe that it is our responsibility to actively advocate, authentically connect, and to prioritize cultural, racial and health equity in all we do. BSCS works in partnership with the communities we serve, to design prevention initiatives that bring our communities together to promote health and well-being for all youth and families.

BSCS’s Prevention Team operates three community coalitions: Impact Quincy, HEY Randolph, and the Building Up Youth Regional Partnership. By bringing community members and organizations together, community coalitions play an important role in preventing substance use and building environments that impact health and well-being for all. The health and well-being of children and youth is our responsibility: by working together we can have the greatest impact.

For more information on any of our Prevention programs, please contact Briana Keating at bkeating@baystatecs.org

Impact Quincy

Impact Quincy (IQ), established in 1991, is a community-based coalition dedicated to building healthy communities through equity and collective action. IQ is made up of key partners reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve and delivers a wide range of prevention programs.

Vision
Safe, supportive, and equitable communities where all people have the resources and support needed to achieve positive health and well-being.

Mission
As a leader in our region’s prevention and wellness efforts, we build healthier communities for all by:

Creating and sustaining effective, prevention focused partnerships that highlight diverse voices and the perspectives of those with lived experiences.
Building the capacity of the community to collect local data and to implement evidence-informed prevention programs, policies, practices and systems change
Inspiring, engaging, educating, and advocating for upstream approaches to health and wellbeing at the community, municipality and agency level

Values

Sustainability
Equity
Collective Action
Positive Youth Development

Impact Quincy is part of Building Up Youth (BUY), a Regional Collaborative on Health and Wellness.

Funding Source:
Department of Public Health-Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) STOP Act.

HEY Randolph!

In August 2023, through a collaboration with the Randolph Health Department, Bay State Community Services and the Randolph community, the HEY Randolph (Healthy Empowered Youth) Coalition was formed.

The coalition has 40 diverse members including youth, community members, school principals, town superintendent, school resources officers, Board of Health members, school committee members, community center and library staff, public health nurses, public health commissioner, faith based, student council, family service departments, and advocacy groups.

Mission

To equitably promote wellbeing and to prevent and reduce youth substance misuse through effective communication, coordination, collaboration, and action in a culturally relevant way.

HEY Randolph utilizes SAMHSA’s evidence-based Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), to conduct assessments, build capacity, plan and implement strategies, and evaluate those strategies to prevent misuse of substances of first use (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis) among youth in the Randolph community.

HEY Randolph is part of Building Up Youth (BUY), a Regional Partnership on Health and Wellness.

Funding Source:

Department of Public Health-Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and Center for Disease Control, Drug Free Communities.

BUY Partnership & Youth Leaders

Since 2009, BSCS Prevention Team has been leading regional prevention efforts in the communities of Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth. In 2021, The Department of Public Health-Bureau of Addiction Services combined the MA Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative (MOAPC) and the Substance Use Prevention Collaborative (SAPC) to create The Massachusetts Collaborative for Action, Leadership and Learning 3 (MassCALL 3). BSCS is proud to be one of the 30 agencies in the state to be awarded this contract.

With this funding, the Building Up Youth Partnership on Health & Wellness (BUY) works in partnership to prevent youth substance use and help all young people grow up to have healthy futures. The collaborative utilizes SAMHSA’s evidence-based Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), to conduct an assessment, build capacity, plan and implement strategies and evaluate those strategies to prevent misuse of substances of first use (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis) among youth.

Mission
Building Up Youth (BUY) is a regional partnership on health and wellness which supports and collaborates with community members to equitably promote well-being and prevent misuse of substances among youth in the communities of Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth.

Vision
All young people will positively navigate through adversity and be engaged in inequitable systems of support.

The health and well-being of all youth is our responsibility: by working together we can have the greatest impact. We welcome input and participation from Parents/Caregivers, Schools, Youth, Youth Servicing Organization, Law Enforcement, Religious Organization, Businesses, Media, Civic/Volunteer Corps, Health Care, State, Local, Tribal Organizations and Organizations involved in Prevention of Substance Use or Misuse

BUY Youth Leaders

The BUY Youth Leaders Internship was established in 2023 as a partnership between Bay State Community Services and Quincy Asian Resources Inc. (QARI) to incorporate youth voices into BUY prevention programming including decision-making, planning, and program implementation. We strive to maintain ongoing relationships with youth for program relevance and provide leadership development and networking opportunities.

Funding Source:

Department of Public Health-Bureau of Substance Addiction Services

Prevention Resources:
Check out our 8 Prevention Tips for Parents/Caregivers (Available in Brazilian Portuguese; Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Vietnamese)

To learn more about youth prevention and how to support the youth in your life, visit www.buildingupyouthpartnership.org

BUY is proud to partner with Braintree Community Partnership, the Milton Coalition, Weymouth Prevention Alliance, HEY Randolph, and Impact Quincy.

Tobacco & Vaping

Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership

The Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership (TFCP) prioritizes racial justice and community health over tobacco and vaping industry profits. We work with local partners to fight the industry’s historic and unjust targeting of specific groups, including youth, Black, LGBTQ+, and Latinx communities.

The TFCP collaborates with local partners to:

Prevent youth from starting to use tobacco/nicotine*
Protect everyone from secondhand smoke
Promote free resources to help people quit

*When referencing tobacco/nicotine, we are referring to commercial tobacco (vapes, cigarettes, cigars, etc.) and not the sacred and traditional use of tobacco by some American Indian communities.

Funding Source

Funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program, the TFCP shares resources, educates, and mobilizes the community in support of local tobacco policy in Greater Boston.

To learn more or get connected, contact Mary Cole at mcole@baystatecs.org or 617-777-5229

Resources and More Information

Learn how the TFCP can support your organization and if the Greater Boston TFCP serves your town or city

Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program has information on vaping, smoke-free environments, quitting and more.

Get connected to a FREE trained quit coach at the Massachusetts Tobacco and Nicotine Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

School Toolkit for Vaping Prevention and Quitting

No Menthol Know Why – learn why Massachusetts updated its tobacco laws

Prevention in Early Childhood

The Prevention in Early Childhood Workgroup is a part of the Impact Quincy Coalition. We are a collaborative advisory group of community partners, established in 2021, with an overall goal of increasing protective factors in early childhood.

Mission

Our mission is to enhance equitable access to protective factors and services for families through expanded awareness and collaboration with families, providers, and community leaders, and to develop preventative strategies that respect and address the unique cultural needs of our community.

Vision
A community where ALL children and families have the resources and support to thrive.

We look for partners to help us understand and support families in our community with their unique needs including Parents/Caregivers, Schools, Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, Law Enforcement, Religious Organization, Businesses, Media, Civic/Volunteer Corps, Health Care, State, Local, Tribal Organizations and Child Serving Organizations.

Strengthening Families Program: We offer a free Strengthening Families Program (SFP) to Quincy families with children aged 3-5. SFP is an interactive workshop for children and parents/caregivers to enhance their skills in communication, goal setting, peer pressure resistance, stress management and emotional regulation, joint-family problem solving, positive discipline, and having fun! To learn more about the Strengthening Families Program, email us at prevention@baystatecs.org.

Funding Source:

Department of Public Health-Bureau of Substance Addiction Services

Resources:

Suicide Prevention

Our Youth Suicide Prevention Program works to reduce the incidence of youth suicide through trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and accessible prevention services in the communities of Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, & Weymouth. We implement equitable evidence-informed youth suicide prevention strategies, including mental health awareness events, Question. Persuade. Refer (QPR) training open to parents/caregivers, any youth connected community member, and through our positive community norms campaign.

Question Persuade Refer (QPR) is a 90-minute session where participants will learn three simple steps to help prevent suicide, and how to provide resources for someone who might be struggling. Course participants learn how to recognize suicide risk factors, how to ask important questions, and how to connect someone to area resources.

Mental Health Check-in Events: Check In is an in person mental health wellness program/event for youth that fosters dialogue about mental health and suicide. These fun and engaging events are planned for and by youth and feature interactive booths focused on building coping skills, promoting connectedness and belonging, reducing stigma, and promoting diverse community resources. We can bring these events to community resource fairs, schools or other youth serving venues.

Training and events are free and open to the community. Reach out to prevention@baystatecs.org to bring services your community/organization.

Funding Source: Department of Public Health, Bureau of Community Health and Prevention (BCHAP) and Suicide Prevention Program (SPP).