Fighting drug abuse University of Texas at El Paso and Child Protective Services join forces

UTEP (University of Texas, El Paso) and the El Paso Region Child Protective Services Division have joined forces to steer a vulnerable population away from the dangers of drugs and alcohol.


College of Health Science educators and the state agency will soon celebrate the first graduating class of Alert El Paso, a program designed to keep foster children from succumbing to a life of alcohol and drug abuse.


Alert El Paso follows the curriculum of Project ALERT, a national substance-abuse education initiative that has been designated an Exemplary Model Program by the Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.


ALERT is an acronym for Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training. The program consists of regular classes with small groups of foster children over an 11 to 13 week period, said Elizabeth Goodman-Levy, the liaison and development specialist for Alert El Paso. "They are kids that have been taken out of their home for a variety of reasons," Goodman-Levy said. "We help them with a lot of educational activities and positive reinforcement."


A Unique Approach El Paso's program, which was launched on March 23, is unique in that its target population is foster children, Goodman-Levy said.


The national version of the program traditionally targets middle-school children, incorporating the curriculum in a traditional classroom setting. Alert El Paso's two health educators Myriam Leyva and Maribel Alomari, both graduate students in the College of Health Sciences.


They work with children ranging in age from 5 to 17 at an off-campus classroom. Leyva and Alomari's first class of 34 students graduated from the program June 19. Goodman-Levy said the next sessions of Alert El Paso will consist of two two-week summer camps at the Downtown branch of the YMCA.


"It's wonderful that the YMCA is opening their doors to us," said Goodman-Levy, adding that it is important for Alert El Paso to build partnerships to reach as many at-risk children as possible.


A Positive Impact During a recent class, Leyva and Alomari practiced communication exercises with their elementary-age students. Posted on the wall was a set of ground rules, including: "Respect Each Other"; "One at a Time Speaks"; and "Everyone Tries to Participate."


The youngsters enjoyed themselves, immersing themselves in the day's projects and Leyva said her classes of young children have been easy to work with. More challenging are the teen-agers who are less eager to be a part of a structured activity, she said. "Really, if we can just make a positive impact in their lives, it will be good," Leyva said.


The program is funded with a $300,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. School of Nursing Associate Professor Joseph Tomaka and School of Allied Health Assistant Professor Sharon Thompson were the grant's co-writers.


Tomaka said the success of county programs like the county's Family Drug Court was an inspiration for choosing foster children as Alert El Paso's target population. "We provide a lot of services and treatments to the parents…but we weren't doing a lot for the kids of these parents," Tomaka said. "We talked with the folks at Child Protective Services and one of the things they mentioned a big need for was substance abuse prevention."


Building Community Partnerships Tomaka said Alert El Paso hopes to reach 276 foster children over the grant's two-year funding period. However, the organizers are eager to make Alert El Paso a permanent program available to all at-risk children. To do so, Alert El Paso needs to attract the interest of school districts, churches, and other organizations that would like substance abuse education classes in their neighborhoods. "We are absolutely looking to expand the service to other individuals and other community groups," Tomaka said. "The demand is there."


Research center in the works: UTEP health professors Joseph Tomaka and Sharon Thompson are developing a Center for Child and Adolescent Health Research. Tomaka said he encourages people who are interested in this research subject to contact him and Thompson. "We want to use UTEP as kind of an umbrella for this kind of research and activities. Alert El Paso would be one of the programs that would be a part of this center," Tomaka said. For more information about Alert El Paso, call 915/747-7218.


Donna Lynn Dennis

Public Affairs Specialist, University Communications

University of Texas at El Paso

Office: 915 - 747 - 5747

Fax: 915 - 747 - 5969

Cell: 915 - 491 - 8907

E-mail: dldennisutep