Welcome to our Eaton County Substance Awareness Advisory Group, commonly known as ECSAAG. Our coalition is a group of community members and agency partners concerned with the health and well-being of our neighborhoods and families. Our group has a special focus on the prevention of drug, tobacco, opioid and alcohol use by youth. We support “protective factors” that help young people resist risky behaviors in our schools or communities. The goal of the coalition is to reduce substance use disorders and all related consequences. Major funding of the “Coalition” is provided by the Mid-State Health Network (MSHN). ECSAAG staff asked teens what they are concerned about and what we as a community can do to support them in being healthy and "above the influence." See their creative response in a photograhic project they created called Youth Photovoice found at: https://www.instagram.com/photovoice2016/

What We Do
Coalition members contribute their time and effort to review and analyze data and promote effective programs for youth and community members. This is achieved through a formalized, multi-sector collaboration among community service agencies, law enforcement, educational institutions, health departments, business and industry, youth groups, community mental health, faith-based organizations, parents, and other community stakeholders. Participants advocate for educational curriculum in our schools and communities that teach resiliency skills to youth. Examples of community initiatives supported by our coalition include:  Student leadership training; teaching refusal skills to youth; and community surveys to measure youth attitudes toward drugs and alcohol. Coalition members work in conjunction with the courts and treatment providers to ensure that substance abuse treatment is available to all. 
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Youth Interventions and Programming
​CHOICES is an early intervention program for 13 to 17-year-old youth who have experimented with alcohol, e-cigarettes, marijuana or other illicit drugs. Eaton County youth who are referred to the program receive an intake session/assessment. If accepted into CHOICES, the young person participates in a Youth Education Series and his or her parent participates in the Staying Connected with Your Teen parent education series. 

Prime For Life® is an evidence-based intervention and pre-treatment program specifically designed for people who might be making high-risk choices with substances. Groups are running in the Eaton Rapids School District for 18-year old youth or older teens who have demonstrated high-risk use in an assessment. 

Photovoice is an intervention for individual empowerment and community prevention. Photovoice programs place cameras in the hands of marginalized groups of
people (like youth or those in recovery) so they may visually represent and communicate to others their lived experiences in order to educate decision makers about their health needs. 

For more information about any of the above programs, contact Eaton RESA Prevention Program Services Department at: (517) 541-8711.

Michigan Model for Health

​​An evidence-based, K-12 health education curriculum that teaches students the skills necessary to develop healthy habits for life. Michigan Model for Health is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs and Practices (NREPP). Contact Christina Holmes for more information at: (517) 541-8786. 

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Peer Assistance Leadership
Peer Assistance Leadership and Service (PALS) is an effective program that provides comprehesive training for students to help develop positive, supportive, and helpful peer relationships in their schools. Youth train to become leaders and assist their classmates in making good choices and being a person that grows up to be an asset to our community. Contact Heather Algrim for more information at: (517) 541-8913. ​
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Capital Counties Commit

Truancy Intervention

​Capital Counties Commit is a partnership campaign that educates and empowers youth and community members to avoid the negative consequences of prescription and other medication abuse and misuse. Contact Kim Thalison for more information: (517) 541-8711.
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​​Eaton Regional Education Service Agency has provided Truancy Tntervention Services for the families of Eaton County for over 15 years. Truancy often leads to academic failure, dropping out of school, substance use, deliquency and other risky behaviors. Contact Harriett Dean for more information: (517) 541-8920.
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