A prevention coalition in South Florida that has been successful in decreasing prescription opioid use among youth and collecting unused and unwanted prescription drugs
Begun in 1982, the Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition (PBCBHC) is a prevention coalition in South Florida whose mission is to transform and unite the county by empowering children, families, and neighborhoods through awareness, education, and trainings. The community-based organization was previously known as the Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition.
The coalition's goal is to provide tools to children, families, and neighborhoods to continue building a healthier, drug free community. Some of these tools include:
- Pill Drop - a website that provides a list of locations for prescription drug disposal
- #NotMyBrain - an online resource to educate youth and parents about the impact of substances on the adolescent brain
- Don't Be a Guinea Pig - an online resource to educate youth and parents about the dangers of synthetic drugs and vaping
- Youth Leadership - this includes an annual summit, the Teen HIV Prevention Team, and the Teen Coalition in Action, which trained over 80 adults and 900 teens in substance use prevention in the past year
- Strong presence on social media platforms to disseminate prevention messages
- Special focus on the Haitian community, including a translated resource guide
More details and contact information can be found in PBCBHC's 2019 Annual Report here. Access to a collection of the prevention coalition's educational videos can be found here.
99% of Palm Beach County students report not misusing prescription drugs...Over 8,000 pounds of prescription drugs collected in each of the past five years.