centers

Center for Advancing Prevention Excellence

Impacting Communities

CAPE Students

The Center for Advancing Prevention Excellence (CAPE) seeks to advance prevention efforts in communities across the nation by supporting them in the identification, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based strategies for substance use and behavioral health. A focus on translating the science, navigating approaches and resources, and connecting to peers and resources guides the Center as it brings evidence-based strategies to life for numerous audiences. Practice, research, and community collaboration are at the forefront of CAPE initiatives along with an understanding of the strengths and opportunities within the field of prevention science. Youth, young adults, and family populations will receive special attention by CAPE as new programs, practices, and policies emerge.

CAPE will apply lessons learned from prevention science to support communities in developing and implementing a thoughtful approach to strengthening the wellbeing of their communities. Given the focus on prevention, primary populations of interest include youth, young adults, and families.

CAPE services and resources will include training, consultation, resource development, and other types of support. CAPE leverages the expertise of University of Baltimore faculty and staff and collaborates with an extended network of prevention partners at community, regional, state, and national levels.

“CAPE leadership has worked with communities across the continuum of behavioral health and substance use services for over 30 years collectively. We understand the unique experiences of communities and the value of laying down prevention infrastructures that offer evidence-informed strategies to address the multiple levels of influence in people’s lives. Prevention is hard work, and CAPE will offer important, customized, support to communities to help them achieve their prevention goals.”

Dr. Lora Peppard executive director, CAPE

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Mission and Goals Who We Are

CAPE's mission is to support integration of the best available strategies for substance use and behavioral health prevention into communities across the nation through training, technical assistance, research, scholarship, and service.

CAPE Goals

To advance prevention knowledge and skills in substance use, behavioral health, and associated fields.
To facilitate the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based strategies for substance use and behavioral health prevention in communities.
To generate new prevention knowledge in substance use, behavioral health, and associated fields.
To serve communities at increased risk of substance use through participation in advisory groups, presentations on topics of interest, and other scholarly activities.

Early Impact at Points of Demand (EIPOD)

The Center for Advancing Prevention Excellence collaborates with Valley Health Medical System to implement the Early Impact at Points of Demand (EIPOD) program across medically underserved and health profession shortage areas of Shenandoah, Page, and Warren counties within Virginia. The purpose of the EIPOD program is to increase access for high-need youth, adults, and families in these rural communities to behavioral health and substance use services in their local clinics (points of demand). The EIPOD project leverages existing screening and telehealth platforms at Valley Health to screen patients at rural clinics and provide behavioral health consultation, early intervention, family skills, treatment, and referral services based on level of risk.

Youth Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (YSBIRT)

The Center for Advancing Prevention Excellence partners with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to implement the Virginia Youth SBIRT (VA YSBIRT) Project (2021-2026). This project supports the integration of the YSBIRT framework into healthcare and school settings as a strategy to prevent substance use in youth and young adults ages 12-21.

SBIRT is an evidence-based framework for the early identification and intervention of substance misuse and co-occurring problems. What makes SBIRT unique is its upstream approach that targets identifying substance misuse early on so that an appropriate intervention can be offered at that time to help people decrease their risk of developing a Substance Use Disorder and decrease the impact of negative consequences linked to substance use.