Diverse institutions participate in Kansas City's efforts to gather data on local substance abuse problems. Working together they have forged and strengthened relationships with one another, brought focus and precision to strategies, and redefined the way the community perceives its most important substance abuse problems.The Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) in Kansas City is comprised of representatives from the police department, the schools, COMBAT Drug Court Program, Truman Medical Center, the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the NIDA National CEWG project, and a local community mental health clinic. Together, they contribute existing data and develop new sources of information to monitor and analyze drug use patterns in their community.
The group had to overcome many challenges to find common ground and build a level of trust within the team. "People and institutions can be very territorial," explains Dr. Jacob Gordon, Director of the Institute for Multicultural Leadership at the University of Kansas, who chairs the Kansas City CEWG. "Respect and understanding for what each person brought to the table, as well as for what they hoped to get out the process, both personally and professionally, was an important step in bridging personal differences."
The element of reciprocity was also an important factor for this group. It was imperative that the group members and their institutions were able to see the benefits of being part of the CEWG. "They needed to contribute and get something out of the process for themselves. This has been a huge part of the success with the group," explains Dr. Bill Geis, Information Specialist for the Kansas City CEWG and Behavioral Health Researcher at Truman Medical Center. Continuous recognition and appreciation of leaders of the participating institutions by the Fighting Back Board and staff has been a key factor in nurturing commitment and trust among group members.
The goal of the CEWG is to gather and analyze data on current drug use issues and gain a better understanding of the scope of substance abuse in the community. However, the group realized early that they needed to find new ways to collect some of the data they needed. This experience spurred enthusiasm among members to seek and develop support for new methods in their home institutions.
These activities and reports have brought focus and specificity to the community's perception of substance abuse in Kansas City. Each of the members plays a role in disseminating the information back to their institutions and the Fighting Back community to make sure their strategic approaches remain focused. "CEWG folks help oversight committee members to understand the impact and effectiveness of the strategies on the community's drug problems," explains Dr. Geis. Dr. Gordon continues, "The CEWG helps us collect data from a broad range of areas as well as to get a sense about how to communicate it so that it is understandable and user-friendly to the community-at-large."
In the most recent community report, CEWG data were used to refute the top ten myths about substance abuse in Kansas City and to paint an accurate picture of the problem. For example, one myth suggested that young people primarily use illicit drugs like crack cocaine or methamphetamine. The CEWG determined through its analysis of several data sources that the drugs most often abused among Kansas City youth include tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. The usage rates for these substances are currently in decline after several years of increase.
Another myth suggested that drug related crime in Kansas City was caused by young people under the age of 17. CEWG data shows that drug related arrest rates are highest among people ages 25-44. In fact, less than four percent of narcotics arrests are below the age of 17, while 59 percent are between the ages of 25-44. This information suggests that illicit drug use and crime is actually more of a problem among adults than teenagers.
This is only a portion of the facts presented in the Project Neighborhood, Inc. Fighting Back Community Report.
The CEWG group sees its work as a dynamic process that will continually refine the accuracy of the picture of substance abuse in Kansas City. "We are beginning to broaden what we are doing to Kansas City beyond the initial geographic area of Project Neighborhood," says Dr. Gordon. "We realize this is important because we need to link
Project Neighborhood in the context of its total environment in order get a better picture of the community's progress in addressing its most important substance abuse problems."
Linkages: Criminal Justice, Schools, Health Departments, Community-based Organizations, Universities, Hospitals and State Agencies
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