MLK Community Center outlines prevention work as youth vaping suspensions rise

Representatives from the Martin Luther King Community Center briefed the council on Tuesday about the center's substance-use and teen pregnancy prevention work and local outreach to schools, saying the programs use evidence-based curricula and have substantial reach in the Rock Island schools.

Adriana Blanco, the center's teenage-pregnancy-prevention coordinator, told the council that counselors reported 359 total suspension days at Rock Island High School for incidents that included tobacco use, possession and sale. Presenters also reported that hundreds of students have been reached through school and community presentations in the past year.

The presenters described program elements, partnerships and recent activities

Carlos Jimenez, who leads the prevention team, described prevention education as a proactive, evidence-based approach that teaches social skills, resistance techniques and mental-health first aid to students and adults. The center partners with the Illinois Department of Human Services and the University of Illinois Center for Prevention and Research Development for training and independent program evaluation. "We focus more on social skills, peer pressure, resistance skills, antidrug attitudes, mental, emotional, and [behavioral] health," Jimenez said.

Presenters cited outreach activity and measurable results: a local medication-take-back event collected about 400 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs and used 25 volunteers; school requests for vaping education have increased, and the center said it reached roughly 600 students in the past year through school sessions.

Council questions and follow-ups

Council members asked whether junior-high data exist and whether students are using hemp-derived THC or delta-8 products purchased at corner stores. Presenters said Rock Island participated in the 2018 Illinois Youth Survey (with data showing higher e-cigarette rates among certain grades) but noted that later survey rounds were not taken locally in 2020 and 2022. The center said it would continue outreach and coordinate with schools to gather up-to-date student-use data to inform policy decisions.

Next steps

The presenters requested continued support for evidence-based prevention work and potential budget or grant support to expand services beyond the city. They announced an upcoming opiates-prevention presentation for seniors at the Martin Luther King Community Center and asked council members to consider sustained investment in programming that connects the center with Rock Island and surrounding communities.