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Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension coordinates Botvin delivery and reports declines in school incidents in pilot districts
Summary
Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension described its statewide role in training delivery, coordinator staffing and a parent program complementing Botvin LifeSkills. The extension cited Campbell County data showing reductions in disciplinary incidents after a suite of interventions that included Botvin.
Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension on Oct. 5 described how its network of 107 local offices and regional coordinators helps deliver evidence-based prevention programs, train local implementers and subsidize participant materials using Opioid Abatement Authority funding.
Dr. Kathy Hozik, director of the Virginia Tech Center for Public Health Practice and Research and an initiative leader for Virginia Cooperative Extension, said extension staff act as trusted local messengers who can reduce stigma and support community capacity to deliver programs such as Botvin LifeSkills, parent-family sessions and mental-health first aid.
Hozik described a staffing structure of five regional coordinators supported by two recently hired part-time coordinators in the northwest and southeast districts; the extension covers participant materials and, in some cases, invoices trained community providers for delivery time so local partners are not expected to volunteer services.
Why it matters: Hozik said extension’s deep local presence enabled expansion from primarily rural targeting under prior federal grants into urban areas under current OAA funding, supporting broad reach across school divisions and community coalitions.
Local outcomes: Hozik highlighted Campbell County as an example where coordinated efforts—school-based Botvin LifeSkills delivery, school-resource-officer involvement, diversion programs and other interventions—were presented publicly as associated with an 80 percent reduction in reported drug violations and declines in short- and long-term suspensions over the reported school year. Hozik attributed the results to a “strong collaborative effort” described in local reports; she said Botvin was part of a broader strategy rather than the sole cause.
Other support: Extension also partners with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to offer adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) trainings, and extension staff have been placed in new roles such as a peer-recovery support specialist working in jails in the South Side region. Hozik said extension offers the Botvin parent program for caregivers, which staff have used with foster and incarcerated parents.
Ending: Hozik closed by noting that Jenny Picktorn coordinates statewide training logistics and invoicing, and she invited local coalitions and school divisions to work with VCE to bring evidence-based prevention and family programs to their communities.
