The Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects, established by Saint Vincent College in 1978 and funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc., provides a variety of community and school-based prevention programs throughout the 1,000 square miles of Westmoreland County and in the surrounding area of southwestern Pennsylvania. These services consist of:

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) prevention education programs conducted in classroom and small group settings in elementary and secondary schools.

Training workshops, seminars and conferences designed to acquaint, refresh and educate elementary and secondary teachers and administrators as well as other prevention professionals and human services personnel with the most current ATOD prevention information, techniques and processes.

Preschool Curricula designed to establish a foundation of positive life-skills that will promote wellness in the young adults of tomorrow.

Community prevention programs focused on reducing the use of ATOD in specifically targeted community elements or the at-risk population in general and to affect community norms regarding ATOD use and abuse.

Special programs regarding the development and/or enhancement of parenting and nurturing skills, and the special needs of at-risk children.

The Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects uses a unique strategy: all our programs are developmental, on-going, consistent, comprehensive , and motivational. This approach is based on research which has shown that education which promotes and reinforces positive behavior and builds resistive skills can be a significant influence in the development of a healthy lifestyle.

Recognizing that unhealthy lifestyles could lead youth toward chemical use or abuse patterns, the project is energized by its goal of helping educators and other interested persons organize and implement programs which improve children's decision-making abilities and promote healthy coping skills, while also providing accurate drug and alcohol information. The basic premise is that a commitment to a healthy lifestyle is, in itself, the best deterrent to adolescent ATOD abuse.

For further information, contact:
Donna A. Kean
Executive Director

Phone:   (724)-805-2050
FAX (724)-539-1710
Email:   donna.kean@email.stvincent.edu