Advocacy Project:Healthy People/THOMAS

1. Healthy People 2010 Goal of Interest
I chose to do my advocacy project on the Substance Abuse

 GOAL: Reduce substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children.
for my objective I chose:
 26-6. Reduce the proportion of adolescents who report that they rode, during the previous 30 days, with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
In 1999 33 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported riding during the previous 30 days with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.  With a Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing the percentage of 9-12 graders who rode with a driver under the influence in the past 30 days of 30%, we have already achieved this goal.
 Disparities:
Looking at the disparities, the White Non-Hispanic group had the best rate towards the goal.
Males had the better rates when it came to improving this.  The African American group had the most disparity towards the goal at 11-50%.

 Opputunities and Challenges:
A big known risk dealing with substance abuse is the chance of getting an STD.  The group with the highest rates of this are  With this being known, many states require a certain amount of their Substance Abuse prevention funding for HIV prevention, testing and counseling.
Emerging Issues:  The abuse of drugs and alcohol among young people is a never ending battle.  The party scene in college seems to get more and more lucrative every year.  Alcohol abuse as an adolescent is a major pre-cursor for it to occur later in life as well, and a lot is being done to tackle this problem before it starts.  Another problem America's youth faces is the famous Methamphetamines , especially the rural areas, the use seems to be going down in recent years.  Meth seem like the urban areas alternative to Oxycodone, Oxycontin and other prescription painkillers, that are like expensive heroine. Prescription drug abuse is on the rise in young people and seems to be the newest fad.




H.R.439

Title: To amend the Public Health Service Act regarding residential treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women, a program to reduce substance abuse among nonviolent offenders, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] (introduced 1/9/2009)      Cosponsors (1)

Latest Major Action: 1/9/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Recommendation: Vote Yes to H.R. 439 to amend the PHSA.

My Political Representative: Jim Oberstar