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Activities for Community Health Workers in Substance Abuse

Community health workers are members of a community who work either for pay or volunteer in association with the local health care system. They offer interpretation and translation services, health education, aid people with their health care needs and provide counseling and guidance services. Diverse activities to raise awareness on substance abuse will assist community health workers in the prevention and containment of this epidemic.

  1. Narcotics Anonymous

    • Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a nonprofit organization composed by recovering addicts with a genuine desire to stop abusing any particular substance. They offer Community Awareness Meetings conducted by NA members to inform the community of the existence of the group and its available services, as well as presentations for schools, churches and other public entities. Community health workers may contact their local NA office and arrange either a Community Awareness Meeting or a presentation, depending on their specific needs.

    Creative Outlets

    • Community health workers may organize a play including other members of their professional health care staff, as well as adults and children of their community. Dramatizing the effects substance abuse has on an individual and showing the consequences of such behaviors is a practical and entertaining method to spread the correct knowledge about substance abuse. Music concerts, arts and crafts, and any other type of creative outlet will help community health workers bond and assist recovering substance abusers in their community.

    Drug-Free Campaigns

    • There are many drug-free campaigns community health workers could refer to when dealing with substance abuse. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, best known as DARE, "is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons taught from Kindergarten through 12th grade," according to their website. They offer a free Starter Kit for anyone interested in implementing the DARE program in their community. Several government agencies offer free substance abuse pamphlets community health workers may hand out locally.

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