Prevention at People Inc

The addition of counseling and rehab to our repertoire of services has allowed us to help hundreds of youth adjust to the turbulence of childhood or adolescence. But the leadership of People Inc have worked not only to treat the social maladies we encounter – but to prevent these troubles from occurring in the first place. This proactive approach distinguishes People Inc from other social services agencies.

As a result of this emphasis, and our long history of working with the public, our communities have recently benefited from several new proactive and preventative programs. One such program is our use of Prevention Groups. These groups, offered to youth and conducted by clinical staff, address a number of topics including anger management, coping skills, and avoiding substance use. Also, People Inc has formed a partnership with area schools to provide prevention groups to meet the needs of their alternative-educational programs. Currently this includes the Alt-Ed programs in Muldrow, Sallisaw, Roland, and Vian public schools.

People Inc hosts staff involved in the S.W.A.T. (Students Working Against Tobacco) program. We house and facilitate the Youth Tobacco Prevention Specialist/SWAT County Coordinator at our headquarters who works in Sequoyah and Muskogee counties. This program is a cooperative partnership with the Muskogee County Health Department.

People Inc has recently launched a new training program in cooperation with the Innovation Center, a branch of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The grant is made possible through funding from SAMSHA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This program, also known as the Consumer, Youth and Family Leadership Training program is a logical outgrowth of the culture of excellence that has been cultivated at People Inc.

Another such collaborative program is our participation with the work of the Sallisaw NOW coalition. The Sallisaw NOW coalition is an anti-drug organization in partnership with the Cherokee Nation and CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America). People Inc is proud to serve as a resource for the coalition, and continues to help with their goals when possible ( including providing data, resources, meeting facilities, and the involvement of key staff). People Inc is now cooperating with Sallisaw NOW for the provision of a Prevention Specialist who will base out of our Sallisaw headquarters.