ADULTS TRAIN TO HELP YOUTH

GULFPORT - The pieces of the puzzle to prevent youth behavior problems and
substance abuse may already be available in Harrison County.

Putting those pieces together is a goal of community leaders who completed
training Wednesday for Communities That Care, a countywide coalition. The
training marks the start of efforts to use science and research to develop
intervention and prevention measures, said Fred Walker, chairman of the
Long Beach Substance Abuse Task Force.

"We're wishing we had done this 10 years ago," said Walker, whose group has
received $39,000 in grants to implement CTC.

The public won't see immediate results, he said, but many people may be
asked to give input.

"We didn't realize we have so many resources in Harrison County," said
Albert Stallworth, an addiction counsellor for Memorial Behavioral Health
Services.

"What we need to do is put all the pieces together, get everyone working
together. For example, you see we have very little clergy involved, but we
know many churches have programs to help others."

CTC is a community development program of the Channing Bete Co.

But it's more of a system than a program, Walker said.

"They've identified 20 risk-factor areas and developed a matrix showing
where these factors are more prone to cause a child to turn to substance
abuse, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, school dropouts and violence," he said.

"It's about getting to the root of the problem. There's a lot of great
programs out there now but they may not be involved in an overall plan. It
takes collaboration."

About 30 community board members will work on research and make
recommendations, and about 30 key community leaders will share in
decision-making.

The teams are risk and protective factors; resource assessment and
workforce; youth involvement; funding and sustainability; public relations
and outreach; and maintenance, policies and procedures and celebration.

A grant of $25,000 from Purdue Pharma has drawn some criticism. The company
manufactures OxyContin, a prescription pain-reliever with a high potential
for abuse.

"The drug has a useful purpose but the company knows some people are
abusing it," Walker said. "That's why they're being a good corporate
citizen by investing in drug awareness programs."