Health Happens in Neighborhoods.
That’s just what happened. In the spring of 2008, Duval County was shaken by a tragic yet preventable incident. A 15-year-old girl went to a party in a neighborhood and was given lots of alcohol to drink. She was sexually assaulted that night by other inebriated party-goers and her life took a path she’d never considered. She was someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. A girl from the neighborhood.
A group of local moms were jarred into action. They began to meet together to try to understand the whats and whys and hows. They learned from alcohol prevention and treatment professionals. They perused data and attended trainings and ached to figure out how to create safety yet give space for growth. To educate but not scare.
And they learned all about the impact of environment on the individual’s whole health: their emotional, physical and mental well-being. These women learned that the neighborhood that is around us can be supportive of opportunity, or a partner in failure. They formed Drug Free Duval, a community coalition, with a single purpose: freedom from substance abuse for all.
Today, Drug Free Duval continues to passionately drive a community attitude that inspires action, empathy and support in an effort to improve health each day. Prevention is the cornerstone of the plan, and it’s a core value of the neighborhood, prevention supports health for each of us.
Susan Pitman, Founder
Sally Finn, Executive Director