About A.S.A.P.

You have questions, we have answers! Take a look at some frequently asked questions. If you don't find the answer to your question, contact us!

What is A.S.A.P.?

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, Inc., (A.S.A.P.) is an advisory group of NAMI Cape Cod & Islands, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation.

What is our mission?

The A.S.A.P. mission is to foster a safe, healthy Nantucket community through education, awareness, advocacy and prevention strategies.

A.S.A.P. is a cross-sector collaborative of community leaders, parents, youth, school administration and teachers, youth development organizations, civic and volunteer groups, health care and business professionals, law enforcement and the media. Together they serve as the community-wide substance abuse prevention coalition known as A.S.A.P. Nantucket.

Our Advisory Group members are: Sue Gambee - Chair, Sue Mynttinen - Director, Allan Bell, Tara Corbett, Rachel Day, Heather Francis, Bryan Frascati, Mark Godfrey, Heather Haddon, Tucker Haddon, Patricia Harding, Kerryann Leddy, Paula Maloney, Holly McGowan, Michelle Olson, Jim Perelman, Hugh Robbins, Rosemarie Samuels, Elisabeth Sorrows

Who comprises the A.S.A.P. coalition?

How does A.S.A.P. collaborate with other nonprofits in the Nantucket community?

We collaborate with numerous island organizations and are active members of the Healthy Communities Collaborative and the Behavioral Health Task Force. We work closely with A Safe Place, the Council for Human Services, Health Imperatives, Interfaith Council, Police Department, Nantucket Family Resource Center, Nantucket Public Schools, Nantucket New School, Lighthouse School, Boys & Girls Club, Suicide Prevention Coalition, Nantucket Community Sailing, Dreamland, Nantucket Community School, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Off-island partners include the NAMI Cape Cod and Islands, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Disease Control and the National Association for Alcohol and Drug Dependence. Locally, we have received grant funding from Town of Nantucket Human Services and the Community Foundation for Nantucket.

What do we do?

Take a look at some things we do as a team to help our community!

Create and maintain cross-sector coalition & partnerships

Assess community needs & resources

A.S.A.P. has increased capacity--diversity, skills, resources--in the community to meet the organization’s mission and goals to reduce lifetime substance abuse and youth use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. This has been accomplished by increasing coalition membership & participation six fold since 2005 and myriad on and off-island partnerships; educating and mobilizing all sectors of the community toward a culture that values and supports substance abuse prevention and sustainability.

Build skills & capacity in prevention/community education

A.S.A.P. collects quantitative data, through a bi- annual middle and high school student Pride Survey (alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; sexual behavior, and other teen related issues); parent surveys (perception of harm, perception of disapproval of underage ATOD use). Qualitative data is also obtained through community forums, focus groups and key leader interviews. To see our most recent Community Needs Assessment Report and Priority Risk Factors to Nantucket Youth. Click Here

Develop strategic action plans

A.S.A.P. sponsors on-island workshops and trainings (Strategic Prevention Framework--SPF, Risk & Protective Factors, Environmental Strategies, Evidence-based Prevention Strategies, Social Norms Marketing and Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol. An A.S.A.P. representative participates in regional, state and national workshops and conferences for coalition members and partners (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America -CADCA, National Leadership Conferences, QPR Suicide Prevention Conference, National Social Norms Conference, Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.

A.S.A.P. analyzes problems and goals using the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and risk & protective factor framework to evaluate personal and environmental factors. We engage the community in strategic action planning to create a Logic Model, Strategic Substance Abuse Prevention Plan for Youth and deliver annual updates and progress reports to the community.

Provide information to the public

Host community forums

A.S.A.P. has hosted Town Hall meetings on Underage Drinking, Maijuana, Opioids and Addiction, Teens and Social Media and releases of Pride Survey and Community Assessment data and Nantucket's Prioritized Risk Factors for substance use in island youth.

Support youth development

A.S.A.P. supports Y.E.L.L (Youth Empowering Lasting Leadership), Boys and Girls Club Teen Nights, Veritas Student newspaper, Poster & Essay Contests, National Youth Leadership Conferences, Youth Movie Nights, Red Ribbon Week, Presenters and Improv Nights, and is currently forming a Teen Leadership Program- Creating World Leaders.

A.S.A.P. provides information through participation in the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Health Fair, Nantucket Community Wellness Fair, School Open House, and various parent and youth events and forums throughout the year.

Sponsor media campaigns

A.S.A.P. media campaigns have included Red Ribbon Prevention Awareness, Alcohol Awareness Month, Social Host Liability, Underage Drinking Media Campaign, Social Norms Marketing, Public Service Anti-Stigma spots at movie theater, and “It Does Happen Here” (substance abuse & sexual assault in partnership with nonprofit A Safe Place).

Sponsor healthy alternative activities for youth

Teen Nights at Nantucket Boys and Girls Club, middle school Movie nights, Y.E.L.L youth group, Christmas Stroll tree decorating, Winter Chill Events, Creating World Leaders Teen Program.

What are DFC goals for A.S.A.P.?

Establish and strengthen collaboration among A.S.A.P. Coalition partner organizations in support of the Nantucket community’s effort to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth (with a focus on alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use)
Reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time among adults, by addressing the issues on Nantucket that increase the risk of substance abuse and by promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse, by increasing the protective factors.

Environmental strategies to reduce access through social sources
Policies, regulations and ordinances to reduce availability
Social marketing campaign to promote healthy community norm.

We are working together to build a sustainable program through the following initiatives:

Submitting grant applications for funding through local, state and federal sources and private foundations. These include the Town of Nantucket Health & Human Services, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Community Foundation for Nantucket, Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, the Nantucket Golf Club,Southeast Center for Healthy Communities (Health Imperatives) through the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS), Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) MASS Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse, and ONDCP/SAMHSA Drug Free Communities Support Program

Soliciting donations from private benefactors and island alcohol licenses and businesses
Influencing local, state and federal policy development to change the conditions on Nantucket that will improve healthy community norms and reduce the risk for substance abuse among residents and visitors.

A.S.A.P. is working together with

Drug Free Communities

A.S.A.P. works to implement the national Drug Free Communities (DFC) support program. Originally funded by Congress in 1997 with the understanding that local problems need local solutions, the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program now supports over 700 drug-free community coalitions across the United States, including Nantucket. DFC provides the funding necessary for communities to identify and respond to local substance use problems.