About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Gives United Way of Anchorage $233,931 to Help Troubled Youth

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA -The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today awarded United Way of Anchorage a $233,931 grant to improve substance abuse treatment and other services for young people in trouble with the law.

"America's juvenile justice system faces a public health crisis," says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system each year have an alcohol or drug problem. Even though research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money, and builds stronger communities, the vast majority of young offenders receives no treatment at all."

"We want to change this," says Nissen. "The grants we are awarding today will create model programs in Anchorage and elsewhere in the United States to show how we can reinvent treatment, judicial and social services to meet this urgent need."

United Way of Anchorage's project, called Strengthening Circles, proposes to serve up to 300 young people annually in the juvenile justice system beginning in 2003. The grant is one of 11 totaling $2.59 million awarded to communities to plan new treatment and other services for delinquent youth.

"The need for Strengthening Circles is clear," says Barbara Henjum, associate superintendent of McLaughlin Youth Center. "We know that kids who abuse alcohol and drugs are more likely to behave violently, break the law, or end up in detention. We also know that alcohol and drug abuse is a major health problem among juvenile offenders in Anchorage."

An internal study in 1999 of juvenile offenders at McLaughlin Youth Center, a state-operated facility in Anchorage for incarcerated youth, found early and widespread alcohol and illicit drug use among residents. By age 12, 61 percent of the group had used alcohol and 65 percent had used marijuana.

"Kids in Anchorage involved in the juvenile justice system with substance abuse problems don't always get the treatment and other services they need," says Barbara Henjum. "Without it, many of them find themselves in trouble with the law again and again."

"This grant will help Anchorage break the costly cycle of substance abuse and delinquency," says Carol Comeau, superintendent of the Anchorage School District. "We need to reclaim, not throw away, the lives of these young people. We are thrilled to have the support of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help us accomplish this." United Way of Anchorage's Strengthening Circles was one of 280 applicants. Over the next five years, Anchorage proposes to provide young people with early identification of treatment needs, individual treatment plans, and more access to treatment services. The program would also improve cooperation by local service agencies and increase opportunities for youth to serve the community.

Beginning this month, juvenile court judges and officers, law enforcement officials, substance abuse treatment professionals, and civic, youth and family leaders in Anchorage and the 10 other communities nationally will spend a year planning their programs. In four following years, communities can apply to receive up to $250,000 annually to implement the plans.

Reclaiming Futures officials say judicial leadership will play a critical part in these efforts and each participating community has named up to two local judges to participate in a two-year fellowship.

Reclaiming Futures is a five-year $21 million initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org.

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

Anchorage Reclaiming Futures Receives Year Two Grant Funding

ANCHORAGE – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has renewed grant funding for Anchorage Reclaiming Futures. The approval of Year Two funding of $270,000 will allow Anchorage Reclaiming Futures to continue its work to reform the way juveniles with substance abuse and deliquency problems are handled within the Juvenile Justice System.

”We just completed a year of intense planning and the collection of important data to help us decide what Anchorage Reclaiming Futures wants to accomplish over the life of the five-year grant,” said Project Director Rick Calcote. “The renewal of our funding means we can now start the work of positive change.”

Anchorage is one of ten communities nationwide that is working to develop a community-based model that does a better job of keeping kids in school, drug and alcohol-free and out of the court system. Reclaiming Futures Anchorage will begin by targeting 100 youth between the ages of 12-18, all of who have substance abuse and delinquency issues, and attempt to demonstrate a more effective way to keep them from re-offending.

If the model works, Reclaiming Futures Anchorage hopes to help expand its model to reach more children and to eventually build a community-wide system aimed at supporting healthy and productive youth of all ages.

Anchorage Reclaiming Futures’ plans include development of a strong partnership between the courts, schools, police officers, state agencies, treatment providers, non-profit groups and faith-based organizations who will work together to make sure that youth receive the services and support they need to break their cycle of crime and substance abuse. A common screening tool, juvenile assessment center, sharing of information among partners, development of a mentoring program, accountable case management, youth job training and opportunities and positive recreational activities for kids may all be a part of the “mix” that allows Anchorage Reclaiming Futures to be successful.

For information about Anchorage Reclaiming Futures, visit the Web site at www.reclaimingfutures.org or call (907) 277-4177.

Reclaiming Futures is a five-year, $21 million national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote leadership in building community solutions to substance abuse and delinquency.


Back to News

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

MCGLONE JOINS ANCHORAGE RECLAIMING FUTURES AS PROJECT DIRECTOR

ANCHORAGE –Reclaiming Futures of Anchorage has hired Maureen McGlone to lead a five-year local effort to reengineer drug and alcohol treatment and other services for teenagers in juvenile court.

"I am very excited to have this opportunity to work with the community to reinvent how we help teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime," said McGlone who will become the Reclaiming Futures of Anchorage project director on August 1.

McGlone has more than 15 years in program development and direct experience working with at-risk youth and teenagers in the juvenile justice system. She most recently ran Alaska’s Stone Soup Group, a statewide collaboration that improves services for families who have children with special needs. She has also managed the Office of Ethics and Professional Review for the National Association of Social Workers in Washington, DC, and coordinated the Alaska Youth Initiative for the ARC of Anchorage.

McGlone holds a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services from Seattle University and earned her master’s degree in social work at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Maureen’s depth of experience and knowledge of Alaska joining this project," said Fred Jenkins of United Way of Anchorage, administrator of the Reclaiming Futures grant.

Anchorage is one of 10 places chosen in 2002 to participate in Reclaiming Futures, a national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that brings communities together to help teens overcome drugs, alcohol and crime. Each community has received $1.25 million in grants to improve drug and alcohol treatment, create systems of care, and find mentors, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law.

"There is an urgent need for this work," says McGlone. "We know that kids who abuse alcohol and drugs are more likely to behave violently, break the law, or end up in detention. We also know that alcohol and drug abuse is a major health problem among juvenile offenders in Anchorage."

An internal study in 1999 of residents at McLaughlin Youth Center, a state-operated facility in Anchorage for incarcerated youth, found early and widespread alcohol and illicit drug use. By age 12, 61 percent of the group had used alcohol and 65 percent had used marijuana.

Beginning this fall, Reclaiming Futures Anchorage will serve teenagers who have been arrested two or more times. Planned services include a common screening tool, sharing of information among partner agencies, development of a mentoring program, accountable case management, youth job training and opportunities and recreational activities. For information about Reclaiming Futures of Anchorage, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

Reclaiming Futures is a five-year, $21 million national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org.

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

Anchorage , AK – Anchorage is one of ten communities in the nation selected today to receive a $100,000 grant from Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The funds, which will be allocated to United Way of Anchorage as the granting agency for Anchorage Reclaiming Futures, are intended to provide more effective drug and alcohol treatment for local teenagers in the juvenile justice system.

“It's no secret that teens with drug or alcohol problems are more likely to end up in trouble with the law," says Elaine Dahlgren, president and CEO of Volunteers of America, Alaska , the lead agency for the grant. “This funding will allow us to continue to develop our cutting-edge treatment techniques that can help our young people overcome the cycle of substance abuse and crime."

The award will be used to expand culturally relevant, integrated treatment services to local teens. This will be accomplished through supporting local providers' efforts to expand residential treatment options, creating ways for local providers to regularly share best practices across agency boundaries and seeking additional funds to increase the delivery of culturally competent services to Alaska 's youth.

The grant is the latest national investment in a five-year initiative that brings together local courts, businesses, civic groups, schools and others to improve drug and alcohol treatment, expand and coordinate social services and find jobs, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law. In 2002, Reclaiming Futures awarded Anchorage $1.25 million to reinvent the way the community responds to teenagers involved with drugs, alcohol and crime.

Treatment for Youth in the System

As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system nationally each year have an alcohol or drug problem. "Unfortunately, most don't receive treatment and many of the services that do exist are ineffective," says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, which awarded the $100,000 grants to Anchorage and nine other communities. "Today's grant gives Anchorage the opportunity to test promising practices that could make a positive difference in the lives of these teens. Treatment experts around the country are watching this experiment with great interest."

“Substance abuse treatment is one of the smartest public safety investments we can make," says Maureen McGlone , project director for Anchorage Reclaiming Futures. "Research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money and builds safer communities."

“This grant is about reinventing a system to ensure teenage offenders with substance abuse problems have the best opportunity possible to get the help and support they need,” said Michele Brown, president of United Way of Anchorage.

Each year, the Division of Juvenile Justice in Alaska processes more than 3,200 youth through its Juvenile Intake Services. In 2001, more than 69 percent of female teens and 43 percent of male teens arrested tested positive for marijuana use. The substance abuse problem in Anchorage is apparent in the schools as well. Seventy-five percent of all expulsions in the Anchorage School District 's middle and high schools are drug and alcohol related.

About Reclaiming Futures

Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. A five-year, $21 million initiative launched by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Reclaiming Futures promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice for young people with drug and alcohol problems. For more information, visit www.reclaimingf u turesanc.org .

United Way of Anchorage invests in the community to strengthen families, help kids succeed, promote safety, health, wellness and self-sufficiency and to meet basic human needs. For more information, visit www.unitedwayofanchorage.org .

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton , J.J., is the largest philanthropy organization in the nation devoted exclusively to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org .

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

NEWS RELEASE
October 25, 2006
Contact: Victoria Shaver, Reclaiming Futures Anchorage, (907) 884-9131
Master William Hitchcock, Anch.Youth Court, (907) 264-0419 office, 227-8102 cell


Judges Call for Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse
Report by a team of judges, including Master William Hitchcock from Anchorage, recommends judicial action to help teens in trouble with drugs and alcohol avoid a life of crime

Portland, OR (October 25, 2006) A national group of judges is recommending that judicial officers nationwide take a more active role in helping youth in the juvenile justice system overcome their drug and alcohol problems. The team, which includes Master William Hitchcock, from Anchorage, is part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The judges issued their call to action as part of their jointly written monograph A Model for Judicial Leadership; Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse. The report was just published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in its Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

"Research shows that teens who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "We believe these young people deserve appropriate screening, treatment, care and community support, and that judges have the knowledge, influence and obligation to drive this change."

The judicial monograph, written by a team of judges with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other judges to follow in order to build a collaborative model for change within their own juvenile justice systems. These steps include inviting and convening stakeholders to participate; identifying the needs for youth services; achieving consensus; focusing on performance measures and outcomes; educating the judiciary and public; partnering with the community; and listening to youth.

The report concludes with 10 recommendations for judicial action, such as: judges must ensure youth in the system are screened and assessed; judges must be educated on the current state of practice in the substance abuse field; and judges must help identify or create positive pro-social influences for youth such as mentors, jobs or volunteer opportunities.

"This guide is written by judges and intended to be used by other judges, court administrators, government entities, community leaders and interested citizens," said Master William Hitchcock, presiding judicial officer for Children's Court in Anchorage Superior Court. "Our goal is to provide a blueprint for judges so they can take concrete actions to improve the juvenile and family court system."

A Model for Judicial Leadership can be read in its entirety at http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/resource.asp?rcid=5 or in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Summer 2006, Volume 57, Number 3.

Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative located in the 10 communities of Anchorage, Alaska; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fourth year, early research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in its 10 communities.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. The mission of Reclaiming Futures, a $21 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is to promote new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. It is housed in the Regional Research Institute for Human Services of the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. For additional information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

###

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Victoria Shaver, Reclaiming Futures, (907) 884-8131 or vshaver@ak.org
Kathy Day, KD/PR, (907) 868-4884 or (907) 229-2470 cell, kathyday@gci.net

Portland, OR (February 21, 2007) -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced its board has approved funding to support Reclaiming Futures Anchorage for two more years. RWJF also approved funding for a national expansion of the Reclaiming Futures initiative, housed at Portland State University, citing the program's success in getting more services to teens in the justice system who are struggling with drugs and alcohol.

The 10 communities, including Anchorage, that have piloted Reclaiming Futures over the past five years reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to research conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children.

Overall, the RWJF board approved $6.5 million to support 10 pilot sites for two more years, which includes Reclaiming Futures Anchorage, and to help additional new sites implement the Reclaiming Futures model over the next four years. The expanded effort also will create a national resource center to provide data, case studies and other information to even more communities seeking to improve drug and alcohol services for justice-involved youth.

"By spreading Reclaiming Futures across the country, we are creating a national movement that can make a vital difference in the health of youth and their families," said Kristin Schubert, RWJF program officer for Reclaiming Futures. "During the past five years, we have created a new national standard of care in juvenile justice. These pilot communities are leading the way."

The Reclaiming Futures model combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Teens who enter the justice system with serious drug and alcohol problems rarely receive treatment, even though research shows that young people who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in trouble with the law, behave violently, or drop out of school.

Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems; assembling a team to develop a personal care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; providing family support; and involving community members as mentors and role models to provide the support teens need.

Beginning in 2002, ten communities, including Anchorage, helped create and test the Reclaiming Futures model. The other nine communities are: Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash.

"In Anchorage, the Reclaiming Futures model has become the way we deliver effective service to youth involved in the juvenile justice system who have a drug or alcohol problem," said Tom Begich, project director for Reclaiming Futures Anchorage. "Local youth are receiving increased screening for alcohol and other drug use and the support of mentors, education and jobs. We also have developed an assessment process within the Division of Juvenile Justice and built a database to improve communication among all professionals working with families."

Reclaiming Futures will invite applications from communities interested in participating as one of the new pilot sites. Successful applicants will be selected in the summer of 2007 and will receive technical assistance, on-site coaching, educational materials and invitations to national conferences and workshops. Application forms will be posted on the Reclaiming Futures Web site in late spring.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that offers a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. Reclaiming Futures is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at the Regional Research Institute at Portland State University. To learn more, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org. More information on Reclaiming Futures Anchorage can be found at www.reclaimingfuturesanc.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

# # #

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2007
Contact: Victoria Shaver, Reclaiming Futures, (907) 884-8131 or vshaver@ak.org
Kathy Day, KD/PR, (907) 868-4884 or (907) 229-2470 cell, kathyday@gci.net

Portland, OR (February 22, 2007) – A national group of probation officers, including Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice Intake Supervisor Linda Moffitt who is an executive officer with Reclaiming Futures Anchorage, is recommending that juvenile justice leaders take 10 steps to break the cycle of teen drug use and crime. The officers, part of the Reclaiming Futures program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issued their call to action in a new report, Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency.

"We know teen alcohol and drug use is linked to juvenile crime. Yet, few alcohol-and-drug-involved teens in the system get the help they need," said Laura Nissen, Reclaiming Futures national program director. "Reclaiming Futures offers these young people more treatment, better treatment designed for their age group, and greater access to services beyond treatment such as mentors and jobs that will help them flourish in the community and stay out of trouble."

The report, written by a group of juvenile probation officers with extensive experience in juvenile justice, outlines practical steps for other officers to follow in order to make changes in their own juvenile justice systems. The findings are based on the Reclaiming Futures model tested in 10 communities during the past five years, including here in Anchorage. The ground-breaking approach screens each teen that enters the juvenile justice system for drug and alcohol problems, assesses the severity of their drug and alcohol use, and provides prompt access to a treatment plan coordinated by a service team. Reclaiming Futures also connects teens with employers, mentors, and volunteer service projects.

"This report is written by juvenile probation officers for other officers, treatment providers, family service agencies, policy makers and community leaders who work with teens in trouble with the law," said Tom Begich, Reclaiming Futures Anchorage Project Director. "It draws on our success with Reclaiming Futures Anchorage and is chock full of practical ideas and steps any community can use."

The report offers 10 recommendations for juvenile justice practitioners who want to adopt the Reclaiming Futures approach, such as: collaborating with mental health providers, alcohol and drug treatment professionals, school administrators and community partners; knowing which services are available and appropriate for drug-involved youth; tailoring interventions based on the teen's strengths, risk and needs; supporting staff to continue to learn about effective substance abuse treatment; promoting funding for family advocacy, wrap-around services and mentoring; and collecting and sharing data to help all agencies involved in this effort.

Juvenile Probation Officers Call for New Responses to Teen Drug and Alcohol Use and Dependency can be read in its entirety at www.reclaimingfutures.org.

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures is a $21 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation located in Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash. In its fifth year, an evaluation conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program has significantly improved the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services across the 10 communities. Reclaiming Futures is housed in the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. To learn more, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org. More information on Reclaiming Futures Anchorage can be found at www.reclaimingfuturesanc.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

# # #

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2007
Contact: Mac Prichard, macp@pdx.edu; 503-913-9382
Kathy Day, kathyday@gci.net, (907) 868-4884 or 229-2470 cell

Testimony Underscores New Research: Juvenile Justice Services Significantly Improve in Anchorage Using Reclaiming Futures Model

Juneau, AK -- In testimony before a joint meeting of the Alaska House and Senate Health, Education and Social Services (HESS) Committees today, national experts, local practitioners and a youth once in trouble with the law agreed that a new approach called Reclaiming Futures has improved juvenile justice services in Anchorage.

"In the past five years, Anchorage and nine other communities have pioneered a new national standard in juvenile justice," said Laura Nissen, national program director of Reclaiming Futures. "In doing so, these communities are showing the rest of the country how teens can escape a cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime."

An initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Reclaiming Futures combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teenagers in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Research shows that teens that use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the justice system, where treatment services are often unavailable or uncoordinated.

"Both national and local data tell us that in Anchorage and elsewhere Reclaiming Futures is working," says Nissen. She told the legislators that Anchorage and the other Reclaiming Futures sites have reported significant improvements in the quality of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services, according to a recent evaluation by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children.

"Early findings indicate that using the Reclaiming Futures model in Anchorage has improved the rate of completion of treatment," said Andre Rosay at the Justice Center of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) who conducted a local evaluation of Reclaiming Futures. "It has also significantly improved coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services."

Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems and assembling a team to develop a strength-based care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; and involving community members as natural helpers and role models to provide the support teens need.

Rosay's research found that the Reclaiming Futures approach increased the likelihood that a young person would complete drug and alcohol treatment. Teenagers in Anchorage were:

• Two times more likely to complete treatment if their service plan was strength-based;
• Fifty-two percent more likely to complete treatment if they had a natural helper; and
• Nine times more likely to complete treatment if their individual service plan had goals specific to youth.

A summary of the UAA evaluation is available online.

"Reclaiming Futures is producing positive results," says Tom Begich, Reclaiming Futures project director for Anchorage. "We're in Juneau today because we want our lawmakers to know about these successes as they set budget priorities for drug and alcohol treatment and the state juvenile justice system. We also hope our legislators will expand Reclaiming Futures statewide."

House and Senate HESS Committee members also heard first-hand from Nolan, a young man who has gone through Reclaiming Futures, about his own struggles and successes and the implications of his treatment for future youth.

The 10 communities piloting the $21 million Reclaiming Futures initiative include Anchorage, Alaska; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; three counties in Eastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wash. These communities will pilot the project through the middle of 2007.

###

About Reclaiming Futures
Reclaiming Futures, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice. It is housed in the Regional Research Institute for Human Services of the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University. For additional information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.com

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org

Back to News

About Us  |  Our Team  |  News  |  Media

2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002