{"id":18594,"date":"2025-10-12T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialmodelrecovery.org\/staging\/8105\/?p=18594"},"modified":"2025-10-13T09:03:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:03:07","slug":"healthier-communities-begin-with-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialmodelrecovery.org\/staging\/8105\/2025\/10\/healthier-communities-begin-with-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthier Communities Begin with Prevention\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At Social Model Recovery Systems (SMRS), prevention is about strengthening the connections that keep communities healthy. It\u2019s about helping families thrive, giving young people reasons to dream, and making sure no one feels left out or unheard.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prevention<\/em> means healing and breaking cycles before they begin. While treatment can help save one life at a time, prevention can change the future for many. By listening, building relationships, and offering tools for informed choices, prevention helps entire neighborhoods grow stronger.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen voices are heard, change will happen.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2014Bruce Boardman, SMRS CEO<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Photo take by Brandon James<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That belief is at the heart of our work. We listen first, because lasting solutions come from understanding the real needs and strengths of the people we serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Prevention isn\u2019t simply telling young people to \u201cjust say no\u201d; it\u2019s about creating stronger, healthier neighborhoods for them to grow up in. Connection is the opposite of addiction.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0It counters the isolation that fuels addiction and fosters a sense of purpose, belonging, and mutual support. Prevention begins by listening to the community, to the people\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0who know their own needs best.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Charles Porter, Senior Director, Prevention Services<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Photo taken by Brandon James<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With guidance from Chief Strategy Officer, Zelenne L. Cardenas<\/strong>, our Prevention Department <\/em>provides care, resources, and hope<\/strong> through programs that reach across Los Angeles County<\/em>. Every day, people across Los Angeles connect with SMRS programs to meet basic needs, build trust, and take their first steps toward better health.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Tobacco-Free Partnership, Bell & South Gate<\/strong>\u00a0
    Reduces youth access to tobacco products through education and policy change.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Community Centered Emergency Room Project (CCERP)<\/strong>\u00a0
    Promotes health and wellness through community engagement and policy change in Boyle Heights.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • City of Los Angeles Collaborative for Substance Use Care<\/strong>\u00a0
    Connects people experiencing homelessness to outpatient and inpatient treatment through coordinated screening and referral.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • United Coalition East Prevention Project (UCEPP)<\/strong>\u00a0
    Promotes health and wellness through community engagement and policy change in Skid Row.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Skid Row Care Campus (SRCC)<\/strong>\u00a0
    Provides a low-barrier, community-centered health hub that goes beyond basic needs, offering showers, laundry, case management, harm reduction, health care, and housing navigation in a dignified and welcoming space.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot<\/strong>\u00a0
    Operates a 24\/7 drop-in site offering showers, restrooms, laundry, drinking water, charging stations, Wi-Fi, and hygiene supplies, including wound care kits, socks, and overdose prevention materials.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Skid Row Action Plan (SRAP)<\/strong>\u00a0
    Centers resident leadership in driving systems change through an authentic co-design process with community members who have lived experience, are paid for their expertise, and lead service and system transformation.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    At SMRS<\/em>, prevention is both thoughtful and deeply personal. Our work is guided by data and rooted in the real needs of the communities we serve. But at its core, prevention is about people. It means listening to their stories, honoring their voices, working to change the systems that shape their lives, and walking beside them as they build healthier futures. Prevention is rooted in collaboration. It is not the work of one organization but all of us: parents, teachers, doctors, neighbors, advocates, and policymakers. Every voice matters, and together we can shape the kind of communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    SMRS is proud to stand with community members and partners to build more equitable systems, lift community voices, and create lasting change.\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    At Social Model Recovery Systems (SMRS), prevention is about strengthening the connections that keep communities healthy. It\u2019s about helping families thrive, giving young people reasons to dream, and making sure 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