Prevention Coalition welcomes new leadership
Wednesday, April 3, 2019; Silver City, NM: The Center for Health Innovation (CHI) has named Corina Castillo as the new project specialist to lead the efforts of the Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (YSAPC) of Grant County. Funded by a grant from the New Mexico Human Services Division Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP), the YSAPC focuses on prevention of underage drinking and youth prescription drug abuse through policy change in Grant County.
CHI Director of Prevention and Community Collaborations, Marisol Diaz said, “The CHI and the YSAPC Coalition Leadership Team are happy to welcome Corina to this role. Corina’s professional experience and passion for community will be a great benefit to the prevention efforts in Grant County.”
A Grant County native, Castillo currently resides in Santa Clara. She is a graduate of Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Health Science.
A foray into direct health care services in the region led her to apply to the YSAPC position, “I wanted to take a different approach towards health and the Prevention Coalition offered a more environmental approach to community health at a policy-making level,” said Castillo.
Recent efforts by the YSAPC have included working with local school districts to review and update student substance abuse policies, and work towards uniform policy enforcement and the addition and expansion of treatment options.
Castillo is well-aware of the importance and impact of school policies have on students’ lives, as she served as the Cobre Consolidated School Board’s Student Representative while in high school, “More than anything policy discussions bring attention to the issues our community might not be aware of and helps spotlight for both parents and students how these policies effect their lives.”
Castillo added, “I’m definitely looking forward to community collaboration and reconnecting with the YSAPC members.”
Diaz praised Castillo’s initial efforts with the Coalition, “The team has already hit the ground running by collecting the New Mexico Community Survey, re-building the coalition membership, and planning for advancing prevention strategies.”
The next YSAPC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 2019, at 11 a.m. in the Hidalgo Medical Services Silver City Community Health Center’s Conference Room, 1106 N. Pope Street. The public is invited to attend to meet Castillo and discuss the coalition’s current initiatives which include the observance of National Drug Take Back Day later this month with the Wal-Mart Super Center and the Silver City Police Department.
The YSAPC is composed of 25 service providers and invested community members dedicated to creating an environment that cultivates healthy productive lifestyles through policy and advocacy change that promotes resilient and empowered youth. A program of the Center for Health Innovation, the YSAPC funded by the New Mexico Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP).
To participate in the New Mexico Community Survey visit https://tinyurl.com/NMCS2019. For more information on the YSAPC contact Castillo at (575) 597-0025 or email: ccastillo@swchi.org.
