On Jan. 31 , the Wood County Prevention Coalition graduated from the CADCA National Coalition Institute in the Potomac Ballroom of the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Coalition Coordinator Tina Bradley and President Francesca Leass received the honor.

The National Coalition Academy is a comprehensive training program developed by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute and teaches leaders “what they need to know” (the core competencies) and “what their team needs to do” (the essential processes) to establish or maintain a highly effective anti-drug coalition.

The NCA is designed specifically for coalition staff and volunteer leadership. It combines three weeks of virtual classroom training, three reinforcement on-line sessions and access to a web-based workstation. The Academy’s training curriculum is organized within SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework.

The Wood County Prevention Coalition completed the year-long training and met the requirement of developing essential products (1) a community assessment, (2) a logic model, (3) a strategic & action plan, (4) an evaluation plan and (5) a sustainability plan.

The Wood County Prevention Coalition unites compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse. The coalition was established in 2004.