What is the current public perception of your organization?  The Coalition is perceived by the community of its membership as a resource and platform for discussing public policy on substance abuse laws and issues; a networking group for connecting with other professionals who care about prevention and substance abuse/mental health treatment; an educational forum for relevant topics in the prevention and treatment of, and long-term recovery from, addiction and related mental health disorders; and, as a collaborative supporter of agencies and projects that fit within the mission of the Coalition.

 

Members consistently comment that the Coalition keeps them informed about current trends, local events, training, funding opportunities, and media coverage related to substance abuse and mental health issues.  To get a sense of the array of issues about which we strive to stay current, note our monthly meeting topics for May through December 2009 below:

 

May 2009              Trouble in disguise:  Beverages and behaviors that promote alcohol and drug
                                use among youth 
June 2009              Working with substance abuse among law enforcement
July 2009               Your teenager’s brain and how to communicate with it
August 2009         Coalition Vacation
September 2009    Introduction to Mental Health First Aid
October  2009       Homelessness and addiction:  Lost In Woonsocket
November  2009   Mental illness and substance abuse:  Giving thanks for recovery
December 2009     Faces And Voices Of Recovery (FAVOR):  Recovery advocacy

January 2010        Planning for 2010 and beyond:  Setting a creative strategic agenda

February 2010      Facilitating personal change: Techniques to help individuals transform their lives

March 2010          Mental health and substance abuse services:  A collaborative approach

April 2010             The Role of mental health treatment in disrupting the "Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline"
 

 

Our Drug-Free Spring Branch program focuses primarily upon prevention and reduction of drug use and abuse among youth ages 11-18.  We are beginning to develop relations and reputation in the Spring Branch community.  Our focus on prevention in Spring Branch, along with a renewed commitment to our charter mission, has led to much excitement in our organization about spreading the message that prevention works.

 

In 2008, we worked with others to establish a Prevention Network to bring prevention services providers together to create a collaborative working network that will be able to do as a Network what one agency could not accomplish single-handedly.  The Family Day:  A day to eat dinner with your children^TM event described in Item 8 below has involved the partnering of several of these Network providers and the results have been extremely positive.  We believe this is a walk-the-walk demonstration of the Coalition’s interest in constructive partnering with community stakeholders to provide a better public service to the community.

 

What is your tax status?  Drugs Kill Campaign, Inc. d/b/a The Coalition of Behavioral Health Services is a Texas nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status. 

 

How are you funded?   Our current funding sources include the following:  (1) the Coalition was awarded a Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant of $125,000 per year for five years commencing October 1, 2008.  Match requirements under the grant are for 100% the first year, 125% the second and third years, and 150% the fourth and fifth years; (2) the Coalition currently charges annual membership dues of $35.00.  As of December 15, 2009 we have 58 members, primarily substance abuse prevention and treatment service providers and mental health service agencies; (3) the Coalition seeks grants from private foundations; and (4) the Coalition accepts private donations. 

 

Please list current or ongoing fundraisers and approximate amounts raised. (1) On June 10, 2009 we received notice of award of $5,000 in unrestricted mission funds from the Simmons Foundation.  (2) On June 22, 2009 we received notice of award of $1,825 from the United Way of Greater Houston to fund our Family Day: A day to eat dinner with your children^TM event that took place September 28, 2009.  We received $1,000 less than we requested for the event, so we raised the additional $1,000 in private donations to make up the shortfall.  Family Day is a national initiative to encourage parents to be engaged in their kids’ lives by having frequent family dinners.  The promotion and hosting of this dinner will remind parents that “what your kids really want at the dinner table is you!”  We have requested funding from the Spring Branch Management District to support our 2010 Family Day Dinner to be held on September 27, 2010.

 

Do you have a Board of Directors?  If yes, please list their names. 

 

Board Officers:

John Cleveland, Chair                    Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center, Intensive
                                                           Outpatient Counseling

Ellen Kirby Joe, Secretary              Passages, Executive Director

Eddie deRoulet, Treasurer             Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health
                                                           Investigator Supervisor

 

Board Members:

Jim Ebanks                                         Ebanks, Taylor, Horne, LLP, Managing Partner

Vernitta Lenor                                   Phoenix Houses of Texas, Inc., Underage Drinking Coalition
                                                            Coordinator

Rich Rosing                                      Houston Community College System, Chair, Human Services
                                                            Technology

Cathy Santos                                    Cheyenne Center, Chief Operating Officer

 

Advisory:

Marcia Baker                                     Director, Phoenix Houses of Texas—Greater Houston

Russell Laric                                      International Community Liaison, Memorial Hermann PaRC

David Lewallen                                 Retired, former Director of Coalition of Behavioral Health Services

Earl Littman                                       President, P.O.P. Broadcasting, Ltd.

Velma Smith                                      Community Liaison DAPA

 

		Please provide any additional information you would like to include.  We have many wonderful resources in the Houston area community, and are members of a number of outstanding community-based organizations.  We are members of One Voice (a local health and human services advocacy collaborative); Harris County Healthcare Alliance; Gateway to Care (a local collaborative to facilitate access to healthcare for under- and uninsured residents); Houston-Harris County Office of Drug Policy; Phoenix House Underage Drinking Coalition; Hispanic Health Coalition; Higher Dimension Substance Abuse
Prevention Coalition; National Association for Children of Alcoholics; and, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.  We serve on the Community Advisory Group for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research.

 [1]As defined by the U.S. Census, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA includes Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Liberty, Waller, Chambers, Austin, and San Jacinto counties (population 5,728,143). There are four “principal” cities defined by the U.S. Census as of 2003. Population figures are within the city limits as of the 2007 U.S. Census estimates: Houston—2,208,180; Sugar Land—79,682; Baytown—70,135; and Galveston—56,940.
 

[2] Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug-Free Communities Support program http://ondcp.gov/dfc/