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The Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services (WPCHS) achieved the Blue-Ribbon Coalition credential from CADCA, the nation’s leading substance use and misuse prevention organization. The Blue-Ribbon Coalition credential is part of a program that recognizes high performing coalitions that do an exceptional job creating a foundation for their work by updating and utilizing their coalition products. The rigorous process to determine these coalitions is the Got Outcomes! Awards program. WPCHS will be recognized and celebrated in February during CADCA’s 2023 National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

According to Rusty Fornea, Executive Director for ADAPT, Inc., this is a very high achievement and honor that has been bestowed upon WPCHS. Fornea stated that only the best of the best are selected for the Blue-Ribbon Coalition credential.

To achieve success, coalitions must determine effective solutions to substance misuse in their community. WPCHS has been instrumental in providing prevention programs to youth in our parish schools. Since its first Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant, which was awarded in 2014, alcohol use has declined among youth in Washington Parish. The Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS) showed reductions in past 30-day alcohol among all grades surveyed with an 11.2-percent reduction among 8th graders, 10.9-percent reduction among 10th graders, and 28.0-percent reduction among 12th graders.

“We congratulate WPCHS on their outstanding work and dedication to their community. WPCHS clearly embraced the CADCA model of prevention and their commitment to creating a foundation for population-level outcomes is an inspiration for others in the field of substance misuse prevention. Our Blue-Ribbon Coalitions are excellent examples for other coalitions to be inspired by and emulate in their quest to reduce substance use and misuse in their communities,” said Pat Castillo, CADCA’s VP, Training Operations/Director, National Coalition Institute.

WPCHS was founded in 2004 in Bogalusa/Washington Parish with a mission to unite the community in providing resources and implementing strategies that increase the protective factors to reduce the use of substance use and abuse by our youth. WPCHS meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the ADAPT Office, located at 216 Memphis St. in Bogalusa. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact Rusty Fornea at 985-735-0160.