Lauren Gallegos, LCSW, Prevention Director at the Wellness & Prevention Center.
The Wellness & Prevention Center has been awarded two new federal grants and secured the final year of a third. Together they bring nearly $1 million to youth substance use prevention and mental health promotion in south Orange County over the next 4 years.
The Wellness & Prevention Foundation, doing business as the Wellness & Prevention Center (WPC), is a 501(c)(3) that provides mental health and substance use prevention and intervention services to south Orange County youth ages 12 –25.
The funding received includes: Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grant and a Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The WPC also begins the 10th and final year of its Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All of this funding goes directly to youth and families in south Orange County, primarily in the Capistrano Unified School District.
“Over the past decade, this community has shown that prevention works when everyone gets involved. These grants are an investment in the health of our kids and the strength of our community. Every parent, teacher and coach who learns how to recognize when a young person is struggling becomes part of the safety net our youth need,” said Susan Parmelee, Executive Director of the Wellness & Prevention Center.
The Wellness & Prevention Coalition began with a few concerned parents meeting in a church basement. Today it has 92 active members from every sector of the community, including parents, youth, schools, health care, law enforcement, businesses and local government. That is more than two and a half times the national median for DFC coalitions.
Youth attitudes have shifted along the way. Between 2019 and 2024, the share of local high school students who reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days fell from 14.2% to 10.2%. Over the same period, the percentage of youth who see alcohol use as risky rose from 56% to 90%. More than 9 in 10 middle schoolers now say their parents would disapprove of underage drinking, up from fewer than half in 2020.
The MHAT grant provides $200,000 a year for three years for no-cost Mental Health First Aid and Stronger Together training. Mental Health First Aid (Mental Health First Aid Training for All | MHFA USA) teaches people how to recognize the signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, offer help and connect someone to care. Stronger Together (https://strongertogethermh.com) is a similar evidence-based curriculum that gives participants another proven way to build these skills.
All training is open to students, parents, teachers, and the wider community.
The STOP Act grant provides $60,000 a year for four years. It will help the coalition build on the decline in teen drinking and reduce youth alcohol use further.
The DFC grant is fully funded at $125,000 for its final year. It will keep the coalition running and support a community town hall on substance use prevention that the coalition is now planning. Details will be announced soon.
How You Can Get Involved: Prevention works best when the whole community takes part. There are two ways to help:
- Host or attend a training. Schools, PTAs, sports leagues, congregations, businesses and community groups can bring free training to their own members. Individuals can sign up for an upcoming session.
- Join the coalition. The Wellness & Prevention Coalition meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Anyone who cares about the health of young people in south Orange County is welcome.
To learn more, visit www.wpc-oc.org or email lauren@wpc-oc.org