A Regional Substance Abuse Action Council is a public-private partnership comprised of community leaders. Its purpose is to establish and implement an action plan to develop and coordinate needed services in the field of substance abuse.

These services are generally described as a continuum of care which includes community awareness and education, prevention, intervention, treatment and aftercare.

The members of the Regional Action Council serve as volunteers assisted by professional staff. Members include representatives of major community leadership constituencies: chief elected officials, chiefs of police, superintendents of schools, major business and professional persons, legislators, major substance abuse service providers, funders, minority communities, religious organizations and the media.

The purpose of the Regional Action Councils is to develop and coordinate services and not to provide direct services to clients. Thus, they will not dilute or compromise their service development and coordinating role nor become competitive with existing service providers for scarce service-related dollars.

DMHAS provides funding annually for core administrative support and coordination of prevention initiatives. The Regional Action Council will generate additional resources.

In awarding core administrative support, DMHAS requires that the Regional Action Council be composed of the types of leadership listed above, that the Regional Action Council not provide direct client services, and that the Council participate in DMHAS’ statewide planning process.

Basically, the Regional Action Councils are autonomous regional public-private organizations that take responsibility to impact seriously on the substance abuse problems of their citizens.

Management Objectives

The management objectives listed below represent the core functions of a Regional Action Council (RAC):

1. To identify gaps in services along the continuum of care (including community awareness, education, primary prevention, intervention, treatment and aftercare).

2. To develop an annual action plan to fill gaps in services and to submit such plan to DMHAS.

3. To conduct fund-raising activities to fill gaps identified in the RACs annual action plan.

4. To conduct activities to implement the initiatives identified in the annual action plan.

5. To conduct activities to promote visibility for the Regional Action Council (but not to provide direct services).

6. To conduct at least four meetings per year.

7. To maintain RAC membership as described under Section 17a-671 (b) of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Prevention Core Functions

The prevention core functions listed below include the strategic focus of DMHAS:

1. Develop "cooperative agreements" between all resource links to include: opportunities for co-sponsorship of prevention events, promotion of other Resource Links' courses and programs, and areas of collaboration related to the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) initiatives.

2. Support DMHAS planning and development of community prevention services utilizing school survey results, other local needs assessment data, science-based technologies.

3. Support, develop and implement strategies outlined in the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) alcohol and tobacco initiatives (25% of prevention set-aside dollars must be focused on alcohol and 25% on tobacco activities).

4. Support emerging efforts to link/integrate prevention information.

5. Serve as Resource Center to local constituents.

6. Participate on Resource Link Advisory Committee.

Sub-Region 1A: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford

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Lisa Cooper, Executive Director
Mid Fairfield Substance Abuse Coalition
c/o Human Services Council of Mid-Fairfield
One Park Street
Norwalk, CT  06851
PH:  203-849-1111  FAX:  203-849-1151
E-Mail: lcooper@hscct.org

Sub-Region 1B: Norwalk, Weston, Westport, Wilton

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Jan Laster, Executive Director
Regional Youth/Adult Substance Abuse Project
Burrough's Community Center
2470 Fairfield Avenue
Bridgeport, CT  06605-2647
PH:  203-579-2727  FAX:  203-333-9118
E-Mail: janlaster@aol.com

Sub-Region 1C: Bridgeport, Easton/Redding, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, Trumbull

REGION TWO
{Region Two}
Marlene F. McGann, Executive Director
Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council, Inc.
5 Brookside Drive, P.O. Box 307
Wallingford, CT  06492
PH:  203-294-3591  FAX:  203-294-3593
E-Mail: MAWSAC@aol.com

Sub-Region 2A: Meriden, Wallingford

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Michael Jefferson, Acting Executive Director
South Central CT RAC
(CT Children & Family Center, Inc.)
230 Ashmun Street
New Haven, CT  06511
PH:  203-776-1981  FAX:  203-776-1982
E-Mail: SCCRAC@yahoo.com

Sub-Region 2B: Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, West Haven,  Woodbridge

Pamela Jones Mautte, Executive Director
Valley Substance Abuse Action Council
435 East Main Street
Ansonia, CT  06401
PH:  203-736-8566  FAX:  203-736-2641
E-Mail:  PJones@bghealth.org

Sub-Region 2C: Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton

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Betsey Chadwick, Executive Director
Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council
(Business Industry Foundation of Middlesex County)
393 Main Street
Middletown, CT  06457
PH:  860-347-5959  FAX:  860-346-1043
E-Mail: MCSAAC@sbcglobal.net

Sub-Region 2D: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam,   Killingworth, Middlefield,  Middletown, Old Saybrook,  Portland, Westbrook,

REGION THREE
{Region Three}
Robert Brex, Executive Director
Northeast Communities Against Substance Abuse
559 Hartford Pike, Suite 210B
Dayville, CT  06241
PH:  860-779-9253  FAX:  860-774-0827
E-Mail: necasa@snet.net

Sub-Region 3A: Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Dayville,  Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Mansfield, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam,  Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Union, Willington, Windham, Woodstock

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Michele Devine, Executive Director
Southeastern Regional Action Council
165 State Street, Suite 419
New London, CT  06320
PH:  860-442-1330   FAX:  860-437-1240
serac.ed@sbcglobal.net

Sub-Region 3B: Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, New London, No. Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Voluntown, Waterford

REGION FOUR
{Region Four}
Bonnie Smith, Executive Director
East of the River Action for Substance Abuse Elimination
70 Canterbury Street
East Hartford, CT  06118
PH:  860-568-4442  FAX:  860-568-4445
E-Mail: ERASE@snet.net

Sub-Region 4A: Andover, Bolton, E. Hartford, E. Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Glastonbury, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough,  Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, Tolland,  Vernon

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Mirelle Freedman, Executive Director
Capitol Area Substance Abuse Council
3 Barnard Lane, First Floor
Bloomfield, CT  06002
PH:  860-286-9333  FAX:  860-286-9334
E-Mail: mfreedman@casac.org

Sub-Region 4B: Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartford, Hartland, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Suffield, West Hartford, Wethersfield,  Windsor, Windsor Locks

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(Vacant), Director
Substance Abuse Action Council of Central CT, Inc.
92 Vine Street
New Britain, Connecticut 06052
PH:  860-826-4985, FAX:  860-224-4751
E-Mail: saac1@aol.com

Sub-Region 4C: Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington 

REGION FIVE
{Region Five}
Jennifer Dewitt, Executive Director
Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Action Council
22 Chase River Rd.
Waterbury, CT  06704
PH:  203-578-4044  FAX:  203-756-6032
E-Mail: jdewitt.FIC@sbcglobal.net

Sub-Region 5A: Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury

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Allison Fulton, Executive Director
Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse
69 Stony Hill Road
Bethel, CT  06801
PH:  203-743-7741  FAX:  203-743-7317  
E-Mail: housatonic.valley@snet.net

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Also See .  .  .

• How To Find Services
• State Advisory Board
• Regional Mental Health Boards
• Catchment Area Councils (CACs)
• Advocacy and Support
• Prevention & Intervention