The MassCALL3 Prevention Partners collaborate across the towns of Dedham, Needham, Walpole, and Westwood to prevent and reduce underage substance use. Our regional partnership, funded by a multi-year prevention grant*, is managed by staff at the Needham Public Health Division.
We work together with municipal employees, town leaders, and residents of all ages to achieve two main goals:
-Building prevention capacity: Establishing and strengthening connections and advocating for public health programs, policies, and practices to enhance community health and safety.
-Preventing and reducing underage substance use: Identifying factors that increase risk, as well as the factors shown to protect youth from high-risk behaviors. Then, choosing evidence-informed strategies known to increase protection and reduce risks.
The MassCALL3 grant mission is grounded in eight equity principles. Integrating equity into prevention programming enables us to expand the reach of the work across diverse populations and bridge the gaps across race, gender, ethnicity, and beyond status barriers.
Prevention research tells us that youth substance use is not inevitable—it is preventable! Effective prevention brings together diverse individuals and groups to change policies and community conditions to support healthy barriers.
We use health data to plan, implement, and evaluate our efforts and sustain what works.
*The MassCALL3 grant is funded through the federal Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant (SUPTRS BG), administered for community prevention by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services.
We’re always working on new ways to support prevention efforts and amplify youth voices across our four towns. Want to stay in the loop? Access resources, social media, and more—all in one place.
Visit our Linktree