Teens in Chelsea, Mich., have reduced recent alcohol and marijuana use by 40% to 50% and indicate a 13% to 32% increase in peer disapproval of such activities since Chelsea Community Hospital began working with the Chelsea School District four years ago to implement the SRSLY (text speak for “seriously”) substance-abuse prevention program.
For those achievements, the hospital earned an honorable mention in the Spirit of Excellence Awards' Community category.
With a multiyear grant from the Coghlan Family Foundation, the 102-bed hospital and the school district have created a communitywide coalition of parents, youth, law enforcement, business, churches, civic clubs and the local library.
Staff from Chelsea's behavioral health, community health, development, marketing, human resources and accounting departments all have donated time to the coalition.
In all, 542 people have volunteered more than 8,000 hours for SRSLY, which in addition to the other metrics drawn from 2010 community surveys, has prompted a 54% increase in the numbers of parents who say they would call police to report adults giving alcohol or drugs to minors.
