Brighton Center has been selected as one of only three pilot sites in the country, and the only in Kentucky, for a new initiative called Teens Linked to Care (TLC).
Brighton Center will receive over $90,000 each year for two years to develop and implement the TLC program which is focused on prevention services for teens related to substance abuse and HIV/STD’s.
Teens Linked To Care is a collaborative between several local entities. Brighton Center selected the Campbell County School District, specifically, Campbell County High School, due to the district’s overwhelming commitment to teaching the “whole child.”
The district has been recognized at the local, state and national level for their proactive approaches to addressing their students’ social-emotional well-being. Campbell County High School health and physical education teachers will teach the TLC curriculum as part of their required course for 10th grade students. Campbell County Drug Free Alliance will serve as the community partner for the project.
Teens Linked to Care involves three parts, the curriculum taught within the high school, a Youth Advisory Board comprised of Campbell County High School student leaders, and a Community Advisory Board. The goal is to implement effective prevention techniques for teens related to HIV/STDs and substance abuse issues.
During the transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescents establish patterns of behavior and make lifestyle choices that affect their current and future health. Substance abuse is one of those behaviors that come with a number of negative consequences such as school problems, DUIs, and unsafe sex, just to name a few. This is concerning because youth who abuse substances are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior such as increased frequency of sex, multiple partners, and unprotected sex. These risky sexual behaviors can lead to teen pregnancy, HIV, and STD infections. Prevention can help limit experimentation and reduce risky behavior before serious problems develop.
Communities often understand that local stakeholders and citizens hold the key to solving local problems. Effective substance abuse prevention requires the participation of all sectors in a community working together and utilizing proven prevention strategies to achieve successful population level change which is a multi-year process.
TLC is funded through a collaborative partnership between the Hilton Foundation, Center for Disease Control Foundation, and CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health also known as “DASH.”
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with the CDC, the Brighton Center and the Campbell County Drug Free Alliance as we take a proactive approach toward positively impacting the health and wellness of our students,” said Dr. David Rust, superintendent of Campbell County Schools.
“Opportunities such as this speaks to the hard work we have done up to this point in terms of ensuring our students are happy, healthy and successful. I can see this project taking our work to a whole new level and helping many students in the process.”
The mission of Brighton Center, Inc. is to create opportunities for individuals and families to reach self-sufficiency through family support services, education, employment, and leadership.
From Brighton Center
