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The Prevention Partnership, Inc. grew from an inter-agency collaboration involving two Chicago agencies, the Learning Network Center and Right Way Youth Center, and the Person Education Development Education in Saint Paul/Minneapolis. In 1984 the directors of these agencies formed the Partners in Prevention Program, which evolved into the Prevention Partnership. The partners incorporated it in June 1987 as a not-for-profit community based prevention and health promotion agency located in Chicago. The Partnership bases its work on the conviction that community-based teams in possession of planning, communication and decision-making skills are the most effective agents for solving community problems. Using a systems approach, Prevention Partnership facilitates a process that enables a community to integrate its cultural, political, social and philosophical beliefs and values into a program for change. Prevention Partnership utilizes this model for the delivery and management of all its programs. These are programs geared toward prevention and health promotion—prevention of the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD), prevention of HIV/AIDS, and prevention of gangs and violence—and health programs for parents, children, and the community.
In addition to initiatives in Illinois, Prevention Partnership also provides services to communities in Minnesota and Iowa.
The Prevention Partnership through outreach and networking participates in and collaborates with a number of coalitions and initiatives such as Prevention First, The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention, Partners for Peace, state, regional, and national Head Start Associations, the Illinois Family Partnership Network, Family Center Services Steering Committee, The Caribbean Children’s Fund, and others.
Prevention Partnership, Inc. Is a community based Chicago tax-exempt agency that provides prevention, early intervention and health promotion programs. Under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer, Albert L. Orsello, a seven panel member board of directors, and a 20 member advisory panel of experts, the Prevention Partnership serves the Chicago’s West Side, as well as communities throughout the Midwest. The Mission of the Prevention Partnership, Inc. is to Enhance the Development of Youth, Their Families and Communities, Through Education, Prevention and Health Promotion Programs.
The Family Wellness Program (FWP) is a collaboration between the Community Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA). The FWP is working with the Head Start Centers in South Suburban Cook County (Chicago Heights, Ford Heights, Harvey. Country Club Hills, Robbins, Orland Park and Blue Island/Calumet Park). We are also working within the various Head Start Coalitions, i.e. Illinois Head Start Association, Region 5 Head Start Association (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin) and the National Head Start Association. We have also conducted Head Start Prevention Programs in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio; Omaha, Nebraska; Muncie, Indiana and Los Angeles, California.
Peer Leadership, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Violence Prevention Programs have been implemented in over 50 Chicago Public Schools, along with the Davenport Community School District, Davenport, Iowa and the St. Paul Public School District in St. Paul, Minnesota.
North Lawndale Futures is a peer leaders program done in collaboration with Charles Evans Hughes and Anton Dvorak Elementary Schools. The program focus is on leadership, alcohol and other drugs, gang and violence prevention education.
The HIV/AIDS Prevention Department conducts a wide range of comprehensive activities to educate African American youth and adults about HIV and AIDS, which is of epidemic proportion in African American neighborhoods. These programs include the HIV/AIDS/Substance Abuse Prevention for African American Youth Project, HIV/AIDS Prevention for African American Women Project and the HIV/AIDS Health Ministry Training Program for Chicago West Side Churches. These projects all provide much needed community services, such as HIV/AIDS Health Educator Training (youth and adult); community presentations; educational materials; condom distribution where appropriate; and public media information.
Additional services include parenting education, Drug Free Work Place, and block club training and educational programs n violence, alcohol and other drugs and the impact on families and community.
The following individuals are members of the Board:
VC League, Chairman; Rose Gordon, Secretary; Jack Murphy, Treasurer, Albert L. Orsello, Chief Executive Officer; Dennis Radek; Renae Brantley; Luther Syas; John Becker, Ex-Officio; and Congressman Danny K. Davis, Emeritus. The Panel of Experts consists of 20 individuals who are experts in various prevention, education and business fields. Rev. Matthew Creighton, SJ, Loyola University Chicago, Chairs the Development Committee.
The Prevention Partnership, Inc. Has an operating budget of $704,000, with 90 percent from public sources which include: Illinois Department of Human Services and Public Health; City of Chicago Departments of Human Services and Public Health; United States Department of Human Services (Centers for Disease Control-Prevention and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention); Community Economic Development Association of Cook County; Chicago Public Schools. There are two fund raisers that are conducted annually: the Circle of Friends Campaign and the Awards Dinner.
| Prevention Partnership, Inc. Was one of the first agencies to bring alcohol and other drugs and HIV/AIDS prevention services to the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side. |
| Illinois Department of Human Services and City of Chicago have identified the Prevention Partnership as a pioneer and leader in the Prevention of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, violence and HIV/AIDS. |
| US Department of Human Services has written up the Greater Alliance of Prevention Programs in their publication "Here’s Proof Prevention Works". |
| Prevention Partnership was nominated in 1998 for the City of Chicago Department of Public health’s HIV Prevention Excellence Award. |
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1) North Lawndale Futures, begun in 1991 as a comprehensive community approach located in two Lawndale schools, offers a range of prevention programming in the curriculum. Working within these K-8 schools, teams composed of parents, students, staff and community residents develop Peer Leaders among students by providing education and training for leadership development and for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse (ATOD) as well as violence and gang prevention. Funding: This project is funded by the Chicago Department of Human Services, Chicago for Youth Division. |
Research/evaluation: Internal annual process evaluations from administrators, teachers and students have yielded the conclusion that these programs are educationally sound.
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2) The Youth Education/Skills Building Program, a
peer leadership, ATOD and violence prevention program established in 1987,
is offered to schools on Chicago’s west side. A team of facilitators and
prevention specialists from Prevention Partnership provides training
experiences for 7th graders in the Lawndale Community each year.
The Partnership’s training team engages students in a fifteen hour curriculum
of classroom training geared toward developing these skills: communication,
anger management, violence prevention and refusal. The team offers additional
training for teachers and administrative staff and the students’ parents by
request. The team encourages students who have completed the program to share
these leadership skills with their peers and family members. Funding:
These projects are funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services,
Division of Community Health and Prevention. In addition, this program is
contracted by a number of other Chicago Public Schools, schools in
metropolitan Chicago, and schools in Iowa and Minnesota. |
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3) The Student Assistance Program is a systematic, team-based process in schools to identify and refer students who are having academic, emotional, physical, mental, or social problems. Prevention Partnership offers technical assistance to the school in four ways: a) to assist the administration in creating a management plan; b) to facilitate in-service meetings to clarify policies and procedures; c) to assist in developing a database of referral resources; and d) to assist in providing information for effective follow-up procedures. Funding: This program is included in the funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Community Health and Prevention. |
Research/evaluation: Loyola University Chicago, summarizing eight years evaluating program outcomes and objectives came to the following conclusions:
This program is evidence based and has demonstrated transportability and ease of dissemination.
Those evaluations using pre- and post- testing demonstrated a statistically significant increase of knowledge gained, as well as skills developed by the participating students.
School administrators consistently report a positive impact on their school climate.
All of the evaluation reports indicate that the programs sponsored by the Prevention Partnership have been well organized and presented according to the program implementation plan in an effective, timely and cost effective manner.
Overall, the conclusions and recommendation indicate the need to maintain, enhance and expand the programs to meet societal needs as cited by federal, state and local governmental agencies.
It is critical that these programs be continued and expanded to address critical needs concerning such problems as violence, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.
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4) HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education Programs, started in 1991 in response to the alarming and under-recognized spread of HIV/AIDS in African-American neighborhoods, concentrates on changing community norms regarding risky behaviors. The HIV/AIDS Substance Abuse Prevention for African American Youth Project is one of 47 programs targeting communities facing the greatest risk of HIV infection throughout the United States. In the Prevention Partnership program, a cadre of Youth Peer Health Educators, trained and deployed in teams, distribute educational materials throughout the area and present programs on HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and sexuality to community, church, and youth groups. Funding: This program is funded by the US Department of Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). |
Research/evaluation: CSAP staff and the Program Coordinating Center (JSI Research and Training, Inc. in Boston) conduct a national cross-site evaluation. In addition Loyola University Chicago evaluates the project on the local level with a multi-faceted evaluation design. The evaluators summarized their conclusions as follows, “Overall the evaluation of Prevention Partnership’s HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Program for African American Youth has been very positive . . . the program received favorable responses from all its participants, especially the young African American students who are fundamental to achieving the program’s primary goals.”
Another program, titled West Side HIV/AIDS Health Ministry Training Project has as its motto “Community and Church Working Together for Healthier Neighborhoods and Families.” Its purpose is to bring awareness and education about HIV/AIDS to the African-American community through pastors, churches, and church youth groups. Funding: This project is funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Research/evaluation: Internal process evaluations from pastors as well as youth and adult parishioners have yielded the conclusion that this project has been effective in introducing HIV/AIDS education and awareness into the church community.
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5) The Family Wellness Project, begun in 1991,
targets families in five Cook County Head Start programs by collaborating with
the local Center and with existing community initiatives to complement and
enhance wellness projects. Prevention Partnership assists each Head Start Center
Director in training the Center’s Family Wellness Team to function effectively
and to develop a yearly action plan based on state-of-the-art prevention
strategies, including the identification of community risk factors. |
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6) Parent Peer Health Educators (PPHEs) The Parent Peer Health Educators program is a subsidiary of the Family Wellness Project. Parent Peer Health Educators are selected, thoroughly trained, and integrated into the Family Wellness Teams at the participating Head Start Centers. PPHEs, selected from among parents of children in Head Start, assume responsibility to assist in the maintenance, promotion, and infusion of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention programs as well as to promote other Health Promotion Strategies in the Head Start Center/Community. The Parent Peer Health Educators, having been trained and educated themselves, help the Family Wellness Team to plan and conduct activities for parents of the Center and other community members for promoting physical and emotional family health, personal skill development and stress relief. Funding: These projects are funded by the Community Economic Development Association and the Illinois Department of Human Services. Research/evaluation: Initially this was a grant funded by the US Department of Human Services and evaluated for its first three years by Penn State University and Loyola University Chicago. Since then Loyola University has continued yearly evaluations. These researchers have concluded that the Family Wellness Project “is an excellent example of an effective collaboration with high impact and cost effectiveness.” |