The Community Assessment
A community assessment is a comprehensive description of your target community (however your coalition defines community). The assessment process is a systematic gathering and analysis of information about the community for the purpose of identifying and addressing local substance use problems. Undertaking a community assessment can provide many opportunities for the coalition and the community.
Skills and Processes:
1. Define and describe the community.
2. Collect needs and resource data.
3. Conduct a problem analysis for each substance.
4. Create a logic model for each substance.
5. Update the community assessment as needed.
Considerations for Environmental Strategies
1. Conduct environmental scans to identify availability of alcohol and other substances and the norms of use in the community. Conduct scans on retail establishments, public and private community events, “hot spot” locations where alcohol and substances may be shared and used (e.g., abandoned properties, parks, “in the woods”).
2. Collect qualitative data (e.g., interviews, focus groups, listening sessions) to fully understand the community environment or context in which alcohol and substance use occurs or does not occur. While ensuring that appropriate protocols regarding confidentiality and permissions are in place, ask probing questions related to what behaviors are occurring, when, where, who is involved, on what occasions does the behavior occur.
3. Determine the status-specific laws or ordinances related to the availability, promotion, or use of alcohol and other substances. Assess each law or ordinance to determine: a) the jurisdiction, b) the enforcement agency, c) level of enforcement, d) the extent to which violations are adjudicated.
4. Ensure the coalition logic model identifies local conditions that are specific (identifies behaviors or conditions), identifiable (can be measured) and actionable (can be changed).
Refer:
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (2019). The coalition impact: Environmental prevention strategies.CADCA. Alexandria, VA: Environmental Primer.
