In 1989, in response to the growing problem of substance abuse and out of awareness
that an integrative effort was required - Arizona State University proposed
the development of a statewide Prevention Resource Center.
The vision was articulated in a concept paper, and the three major state agencies
dealing with substance abuse prevention training and information were convened
by ASU faculty member Dr. Alan Brown and engaged in a partnership development
process. The core agencies that created the Arizona Prevention Resource Center
(APRC) are:
Arizona State University
Arizona Department of Education
Arizona Department of Health Services
Governor's Office of Drug Policy
Early in the development of this organization, the planners and policymakers
of APRC determined that the technical assistance system for Arizona should not
be limited to drug (and later gang) prevention, as distinct from other negative
social outcomes (i.e., violence prevention, school failure, HIV-AIDS, tobacco
prevention, etc.). Our mission was further refined (along with the 1998 State
Strategy for Substance Abuse Prevention, Education and Treatment) to contain
two conceptual tenets:
Comprehensive Prevention - that we would consider prevention to be on a
broad continuum toward health promotion, and that we would not be symptomatically
and categorically isolated, but rather comprehensive in our approach, and
Collaboration - an integrative approach that enabled systems to work more
effectively together was critical to the success of prevention in Arizona.
The APRC was developed to serve as a centralized source for individuals, schools
and communities to support, enhance and initiate prevention efforts throughout
Arizona. As a service delivery system the APRC is a model of responsive, locally
relevant technical assistance serving the broadest range of constituencies including
schools, communities, volunteers, social service professionals, law enforcement,
government entities, students, youth and youth-serving agencies, community based
organizations, health care workers, etc. The APRC began operating in October/November,
1990 and held its official Open House (dedicated by Governor Rose Mofford and
ASU President Lattie F. Coor) on January 25, 1991.
Perhaps unique to Arizona, the conceptual framework under which the APRC was
developed requires not only the delivery of technical assistance, but that the
system provides integrative actions and functions as a collaborative. Collaboration,
in this case, involves a process for re-ordering a system of agencies and organizations
to deliver more integrated, comprehensive and effective services. According
to Charles Bruner, the four key elements for collaboration are:
Common Goals: jointly developing and agreeing on a set of common goals and
directions that move beyond the specific mission of any individual agency
or organization and recognize the multiple needs of clients.
Shared Responsibility: being explicit about the fact that different agencies
and organizations share responsibility for meeting their common goals relative
to the same children and families.
Mutual Investment: having agencies and organizations willing to pool resources
- physical, human and financial - to achieve common goals.
Shared Accountability: defining a set of outcomes for children and families
that reflect common goals and require that performance be measured across
agencies in terms of impact on the needs of children and families.
Two organizational actions ratified the establishment and ongoing commitment
to the APRC:
ABOR Center Designation: In June, 1990 the Arizona Board of Regents authorized
Arizona State University ‘to establish the Arizona Prevention Resource Center…
with a sunset review date of May, 1995’, and on a regular schedule thereafter.
AZ Legislative Mandate: In the 1990 Session the Arizona Legislature passed
House Bill 2080 that created the Arizona Drug and Gang Policy Council and the
Arizona Prevention Resource Center, with specific responsibilities and an ongoing
source of funding from Superior Court Fees.
