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Helping communities to reduce substance abuse by building a
healthy environment with evidence-based policies and
practices that make it easier for everyone to make healthy
choices.
What is MESAP?
| What does MESAP
offer? | Sample
Trainings
What does MESAP
cost? | Who is MESAP? |
What people
are saying about MESAP |
Partners/Resources |
Contact Us
What is MESAP?
(return to top)
MESAP is Maine’s Environmental Substance
Abuse Prevention Center at Medical Care Development.
We conduct
training, consulting services, and technical assistance for
communities to implement the latest evidence-based
strategies for preventing substance abuse, using a
comprehensive model for environmental, systems-level
change.
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Consulting
Services:
MESAP provides training and technical
assistance throughout the Northeast on a fee-for-service
basis. In the past few years, we have provided trainings
for organizations in MA, NH, VT, NY, and MD. Some of this
work has been done through consulting contracts with the
Northeast CAPT (Center for Application of Prevention
Technologies)
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Technical Assistance for Maine OSA grantees:
MESAP has a
contract with the
Maine Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) to provide
technical assistance and training to their prevention
grantees across the state.
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Field Work: An important part of
MESAP is our field project,
21 Reasons, which receives federal grant funds to
implement evidence-based, environmental prevention
strategies in the Portland area. By being involved directly
in the day-to-day challenges of community-level substance
abuse prevention, we become better trainers. In this way,
MESAP’s technical assistance and consulting services are
grounded in real-life successes and lessons learned.
What does MESAP offer? (return to top)
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On-site training:
MESAP offers individualized, on-site trainings in
research-based environmental prevention for project
staff, partners, and volunteers. Training content is
grounded in our own real-life experience (including what
works… and what doesn’t), and is developed in
consultation with project leaders according to your
needs and interests.
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Ongoing technical
assistance: Ongoing TA is
offered through a combination of site visits,
telephone, and
email communication.
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Material
development: MESAP is
continuously developing and disseminating project
materials for communities to use. Recent publications
include a
school policy guide, developed in partnership with
OSA, and a
Best Practices & Policies brochure for Liquor Licensees,
developed in partnership with the City of Portland.
More sample materials can be found on the
21 Reasons website.
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Regional and
statewide trainings: Topic
areas are selected according to needs and interests
expressed by participants, and are guided by state-level
priorities. Collaborating organizations are invited as
partners in planning and implementation of these
meetings.
Sample Trainings (return to top)
Below is a partial list of recent MESAP trainings.
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“Strategies to Reduce
Social Access: A Case Study of Portland, Maine,” March
2009, Montpelier, VT, for the Vermont Department of
Health Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs
Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) Learning Community
Training Series.
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“The CMCA Model: Real-life
Successes and Lessons Learned in Portland, ME” and
“Policy Change for a Safer Nightlife: Lessons from
Portland, ME,” August 2008, Nashville, TN, for the 10th
Annual National UDETC (Underage Drinking Enforcement
Training Center) Leadership Conference, Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
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“Prevention 101,” co-presented with Bill Lowenstein from
AdCare, and “Engaging Community Leaders and Advocates,”
co-presented with Malory Shaughnessy from Maine Alliance
to Prevent Substance Abuse, November 2008, Bangor, ME,
for the second annual Maine Prevention Convention.
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"Engaging Retailers in Alcohol Prevention,” co-presented
with Malory Shaughnessy from MAPSA, "Fidelity and
Adaptation," co-presented with Kim Dash from Northeast
CAPT, and "Developing a Comprehensive School Policy,"
co-presented with Maryann Gotreau from Maine Office of
Substance Abuse, November 2008, Bangor, ME, for OSA
Provider Day.
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“Weaving Environmental
Strategies into Prevention Planning,” June 2008,
Salisbury, MD, for the Office of Education and Training
for Addiction Services (OETAS), Maryland Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Administration, presented on behalf of
Northeast CAPT.
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“Recipes for Success: A
System for Change Using Evidence-based Environmental
Strategies” June 2008, Rindge, NH, co-presented with
Geoffrey Miller of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse,
for the 8th Annual New England School of
Prevention Studies.
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“Implementing CMCA:
Lessons Learned in Portland, ME” February 2008, Lynn,
MA.
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“A Comprehensive Approach:
Weaving Environmental Strategies into Prevention
Planning,” co-presented with Lisa McGlinchy of the
Northeast CAPT, August 2007, Albany, NY, for the New
York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Services.
What do MESAP services cost?
(return to
top)
MESAP fees are negotiated on a
case-by-case basis. Many MESAP services are available at no
cost to OSA grantees. Please contact us for more
information about our free services.
Who is MESAP? (return to top)
MESAP is a project of Medical Care Development, Inc., a
non-profit organization that has worked to improve public
health since 1966. MCD has provided capacity-building,
training, technical assistance, and facilitation of
collaborative endeavors around substance abuse prevention
since 2001. In 2005, this role was formalized through the
creation of MESAP: Maine’s Environmental Substance Abuse
Prevention Center. MESAP trainers are not only
knowledgeable and experienced in environmental prevention
strategies—they are actively involved in the day-to-day
realities of planning and implementation of 21 Reasons, a
Drug-Free Communities Coalition in Portland, Maine.
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Erica Schmitz, MPP, Director of MESAP.
As MESAP Director, Erica balances her
time between serving as lead trainer and technical
assistance provider, and overseeing implementation of
our field project, 21 Reasons. Erica has more than ten
years of experience in community organizing and
coalition-building for substance abuse prevention, and
more than five years of experience in environmental
prevention and the CMCA model program. Erica holds a BA
in Sociology from Williams College and a Master's in
Public Policy and Management from the University of
Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service.
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Joanna Morrissey, Assistant Project
Director, 21 Reasons.
Jo serves as Coalition Coordinator for 21 Reasons in
Portland. Prior to joining MCD, Jo worked as Business
and Communications Coordinator with the Cumberland
County District Attorney's office, small business owner,
and freelance writer and researcher. She holds a
Bachelor’s Degree in English and Communications from
Emmanuel College, Boston.
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Emily Wolff, MPH, Assistant Project Director, 21
Reasons.
Emily provides intensive technical assistance and
coordination for substance abuse prevention in the Casco
Bay community. Emily brings several years of experience
in research and communications. She holds a BA in
Communications from Goucher College and a Master's in
Public Health from Boston University.
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Jen Hodsdon, MFA, Project Assistant, 21 Reasons.
Jen serves as Project Assistant for 21 Reasons in
Portland. Jen has extensive experience in community
organizing and work with youth. She holds a BA and an
MFA from the University of Southern Maine.
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Suzanne DiBella, Research and Project Assistant for
MESAP.
Suzanne is a recent graduate from the University of New
Hampshire, where she obtained a BA in Anthropology.
While at UNH, Suzanne held internships as a research
assistant and as an ethnographer and tutor working with
refugees in New Hampshire.
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Kate Perkins, MPA, Director of MCD’s Health Improvement
Division.
Kate has more than 20 years of experience in community
organizing, health promotion, program development,
strategic planning, and social marketing project
management. Kate provided technical assistance and
training to many of the One Maine coalitions and
intensive assistance to three communities to support
implementation of the CMCA model program.
“Simply terrific - the best this SPF-SIG learning community
has had. Your ability to blend a very clear presentation
style, passion for your work, and the very important
integration of evaluation was, I hope, a message that takes
hold among the grantees.”
“Participant
feedback was strongly positive. You have a very disarming
style, handled some tough and pointed questions well, are
very knowledgeable and created a great interactive design.”
“Participants loved
your presentation and got a lot out of it. …You have a
great, relaxed, humorous, thoughtful presentation style.”
Contact Us (return to top)
MESAP: Maine's Environmental Substance Abuse
Prevention Center
Medical Care Development
175 Lancaster Street, Suite 220A
Portland ME 04101
Email
mesap@mcd.org
Phone
207.773.7737
Fax
207.899.4756 |
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