Prevention Works!

National Centers for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) Programs

The existing body of substance abuse prevention knowledge and experience at the federal/national, state, and local levels provides clear evidence that prevention is effective. However, much of that evidence has not been applied in communities across America. The National CAPT Program is one way SAMHSA/CSAP is working to put prevention research into practice.

National CAPT programs provide technical assistance and followup support to states and communities, with an emphasis on serving State Incentive Grantees (SIGs) and their subrecipients, and on helping those organizations adopt science-based substance abuse prevention programs, practices, and policies. The CAPT system is a practical tool to increase the impact of prevention science.

Program achievements within the major program focus areas for the National CAPT Program include:

Each of the five initially funded CAPT grantees has

• Established a regional advisory body to reinforce existing relationships and initiate new ones, inform and educate its members, and build the capacity of each of its state members and the overall region.
• Conducted state visits and participated in SIG Advisory Board meetings to assess prevention knowledge application needs for technology literacy (for educational/communication purposes).

Each of the five initially funded CAPT grantees has

• Established a regional Web site that emphasizes science-based approaches to substance abuse prevention.
• Presented information regarding science-based prevention and knowledge application as well as CAPT resources and services via workshops, newsletters, and meetings.

Each of the five initially funded CAPT grantees has

• Delivered advice and technical assistance that has shaped state prevention practices and activities, especially with regard to the conceptual development of grant announcements for the first cohort of SIGs.
• Delivered technical assistance and training events that have been of benefit to the states, such as presentations on prevention theory and science-based prevention, needs assessment and outcome evaluation, social marketing and prevention, and managed care.
• Promoted and facilitated the sharing of prevention expertise within the region, especially with regard to helping new SIGs learn from the lessons of the first cohorts of SIGs.
• Convened a Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Initiative (YSAPI) regional prevention summit, which emphasizes the use of environmental strategies as part of CSAP’s comprehensive six-strategy approach to addressing substance abuse prevention issues.

For more information on CAPT programs, visit regional CAPT Web sites at:

Central CAPT:     captus.samhsa.gov/central/central.cfm

Northeast CAPT:     captus.samhsa.gov/northeast/northeast.cfm

Southeast CAPT:     captus.samhsa.gov/southeast/southeast.cfm

Southwest CAPT:     captus.samhsa.gov/southwest/southwest.cfm

Western CAPT:     captus.samhsa.gov/western/western.cfm

To receive a complimentary copy of this PreventionAlert, call SAMSHA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) @ 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889 (for the hearing impaired.) PREVENTIONAlert is supported by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and may be copied without permission with appropriate citation. For information about PREVENTIONAlert, please contact CSAP by phone (301) 443-0581 or e-mail gensley@samhsa.gov

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