Washington County Alcohol Reduction Collaborative
Washington County, Maine
Washington County is a large, remote county in Northern Maine. Bordering New Brunswick, Canada to its east, it is larger in area than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island, combined, yet contains only two cities, 44 towns, and 33,000 residents. Despite its small population, Washington County has a high rate of underage drinking and prescription drug abuse.
To address its underage drinking problem, Washington County received a 3-year Grant to Reduce Alcohol Abuse from the U.S. Department of Education. Under this grant, the county formed the Washington County Alcohol Reduction Collaborative, a project designed to prevent or delay the onset of alcohol use and reduce alcohol use among adolescents.
Launched in 2005, the Collaborative’s first challenge was to change community norms around underage drinking. As Mike Doran, Project Coordinator for The Collaborative explained, “Washington County is a poor, rural community. Drinking is common among both young and older adults. Residents face numerous issues, and many turn to alcohol as a means of escape. For most residents, underage drinking isn’t a priority. It isn’t even on their radar. So we knew that our first step had to be helping people see what underage drinking was doing to their communities and to their children. We needed to create a greater perception that alcohol is harmful.”
The Collaborative has used multiple strategies to communicate this message. According to Doran, “People don’t come to you, so we are really trying to go to them . . . We set up displays, hand out literature, and answer questions.” The Collaborative has also had success working with the local newspaper and local grocery stores to spread its message. Explained Doran, “We knew that we had to change the environment before we could change youth’s behaviors.”
In addition, the Collaborative has reached out to many of the area’s alcohol retail outlet managers, bars, and restaurants with information on responsible beverage service and policy development. When several managers cited distance and cost as a barrier to participation in beverage server courses, Doran found a course that they could take for free, online. Doran’s perseverance has paid off: Despite any initial reluctance, many of these managers have become close collaborators.
The Collaborative is also working closely with the county’s schools to communicate its prevention message. Doran visits the schools regularly to explain how substance abuse prevention programs align with the school’s achievement goals. The Collaborative also funds an on-site prevention coordinator for each school in the district. Again, the Collaborative’s hands-on approach has helped it gain the buy-in and support of school administrators and staff.
Most recently, Doran solved one of his biggest problems: distance. With
staff and key stakeholders working and living as much as two hours apart,
collaborating was becoming increasingly difficult. To address this problem,
the Collaborative has begin replacing face-to-face meetings with regular
videoconferences, which allow partners to connect without the burden
and expense of having to travel long distances through sometimes harrowing
weather.
Doran is pleased with the progress the Collaborative has made during
its first year and looks forward to the future. The team will continue
to reach out to the community, change the norms around underage drinking,
and obtain buy-in from local leaders and community members. He feels
confident that ultimately, underage drinking will be considered a community
priority in Washington County.
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