The Next Generation Wellness Network (NGWN) builds organizational capacity to support youth in Chicago. Comprised of community-based organizations, institutions, and youth service providers, NGWN serves as the Chicago hub for a statewide program of Regional Substance Use Prevention Integration Centers (RSUPIC), integrating new and existing substance use prevention strategies through collaboration, training, and support to improve the overall health and well-being of youth. 

PHIMC’s online Substance Prevention and Awareness Resource Kit (SPARK) was designed to support Chicago youth in developing healthy relationships with substances. The public resource hub includes free resources accessible to anyone interested in starting this work. The facilitator portal provides lesson plans and resources developed by PHIMC and its partners.

 

The RSUPIC program is an initiative of and funded by Illinois Department of Human Services Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (IDHS SUPR). PHIMC functions as the Chicago region substance use prevention subject matter expert, using available data sources to understand regional trends and provide support to youth serving agencies in Chicago. PHIMC provides access to resources, expertise, and data-driven strategies to enhance substance prevention efforts among Chicago’s youth.

Community Advisory Board

PHIMC invites youth-serving organizations to join the Community Advisory Board to contribute their expertise and guidance and foster a collaborative environment. Thank you to our partners listed below for their active participation.

For more information, please reach out to James Lones. 

The Need

According to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 29.3% of high school students in Chicago have ever tried marijuana, 41.6% have ever tried alcohol, and 5.1% have ever misused a prescription drug such as Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, not including prescription pain medicine. 4.3% of Chicago high school students tried marijuana before the age of 13, and 14.3% tried alcohol before the age of 13. 

We recognize that the past few years have been challenging for youth in Chicago. We also know that youth need comprehensive support, education, and information related to multiple behavioral health topics that will help decrease risk factors associated with substance use.

Our Approach

PHIMC is committed to promoting health equity and expanding access to care across the state of Illinois. Using a harm reduction framework, PHIMC works with each of its direct service partners to incorporate a spectrum of strategies from safer substance use to managed substance use, to address mental health and trauma, and to incorporate a non-judgmental, non-punitive, non-coercive approach. PHIMC partnerships ensure that people most impacted have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them.

PHIMC staff engages with providers to assess specific local needs and to brainstorm potential ways to meet those needs. This includes, but is not limited to, access to prevention materials, training, and technical assistance that can be tailored to an organization’s needs. We look to build capacity and opportunities to help expand substance use prevention services within youth-serving agencies.

PHIMC actively works to enhance health equity in substance use prevention through the Next Generation Wellness Network by:

  • Developing a community advisory board comprising multiple prevention organizations 

  • Serving as the regional subject matter expert on substance use prevention, leveraging available data sources to understand trends in Chicago

  • Networking with youth-serving organizations across Chicago to share successes and strategies for addressing challenges

Some Topics We Cover

How Friends Can Support and Accountability

Decision-Making Skills and Creating Another Narrative

Ecological Influences: Individual, Relationships, Family,
Community

The Different Drugs and Their Impact, What Not To Mix, Drugs
and Brain Science, Natural vs. Synthetic

Creating a Safety Plan 

Holistic Healing Strategies

The War on Drugs

Talking to Youth About Substance Use

Prevention Conversations

Youth Substance Use Warning Signs and Intervention

All training materials are available on the SPARK Portal. 

Additional training topics are available upon request. Resource lists, printable handouts, and other supplementary materials are also available. Please note that PHIMC does not work directly with youth nor clients of our partner organizations. Our aim is to help integrate substance use prevention services into existing youth programming. We do this by providing capacity building and providing technical assistance.

Next Steps

For more information about how RSUPIC operates throughout the state of Illinois, click here. Refer to this map provided by IDHS to determine your region. To learn how you can get involved in Chicago, please contact James Lones.

Our Partners