Westford Table Talks Program Selected for Service to Science Academy

Westford Health Department and Westford Against Substance Abuse (W.A.S.A.) representatives recently returned from participating in the Service to Science Academy—a two-day event held in Brookline Massachusetts, for innovative, locally-developed prevention programs, interested in applying more rigorous evaluation methods to their work.

Following a competitive application process, Table Talk was one of 48 programs nationally selected this year to participate in Service to Science. Only 15 programs in the Northeast were chosen from the applicant pool. A program of W.A.S.A. and the Westford Health Department, the Table Talks: Parents Connecting for Alcohol-Free Youth model was developed to provide parents with a comfortable opportunity to communicate openly with each other about underage drinking and how to prevent it.  Each program, facilitated by a professional, is held in a host home to discuss important substance abuse issues and parenting strategies with invited neighbors and friends.

The Service to Science Academy, established in 2005 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and implemented by the Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), has two primary goals:  to increase the number and array of effective prevention interventions that address substance abuse and related mental and behavioral health problems (or the underlying factors associated with increased risk); and to support innovative local interventions seeking to strengthen their capacity to demonstrate and document evidence of effectiveness. It achieves these goals by providing a combination of training event, customized technical assistance, and financial incentives.

During the two days of the Academy, Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, Ray Peachey, Health Director, Sandy Collins, and consultant Kathy Bowen worked with technical advisors assigned to the Table Talks program.  They participated in a variety of seminars on evaluation-related topics designed to answer questions such as: How can I show that my program will produce expected outcomes? How can I develop and implement a more rigorous evaluation plan? How will I know that my program is evidence-based? These questions are especially important for organizations to demonstrate that the programs are effective in producing desired changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among populations served.

Like other Service to Science participants, Westford representatives will continue to work closely with evaluation technical assistance providers, throughout the Service to Science process, starting with the Academy and continuing for five to ten months. As a Service to Science Academy selected program, it is now eligible for a implementation grant of up to $30, 000.

Sandy Collins, Director of the Westford Health Department described her time at the Academy as “productive and extremely beneficial.” “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to really show that the work we’re doing produces positive outcomes. We’ve been collecting stories anecdotally. But through Service to Science, we hope to be able to provide hard data to show that Table Talks and other prevention programs are effective.”