The WA State Health Care Authority (HCA) awarded Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State multiple grants under the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR). These grants–State Opioid Response (SOR), Dedicated Marijuana Account (DMA), and Mental Health Promotion Program (MHPP)–are in place at 30 Clubs across the state. Grant funding allows Clubs to implement prevention programs focused on drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental health promotion programs.
Majority of grants utilize evidence-based programs like Positive Action, Second Step and PAX: Good Behavior Game. Positive Action is a curriculum based on the philosophy that youth exhibit higher rates of self-esteem when they engage in positive actions. Club staff deliver research-based lessons to Club members that teach them about self-care, helping others, drug and alcohol prevention, etc. Club members take pre-tests before engaging in Positive Action activities to gauge where their beliefs lie when it comes to drugs, alcohol, and mental health. At the end of the program, Club members are evaluated again utilizing post-tests. Test results since 2015 have shown Club members beliefs improve when it comes to how harmful drugs and alcohol are and how the importance of proactive approach to mental health.
