Local Trends
Annual Evaluation Report
The Hanover Cares Coalition contracted with Epiphany Community Services (ECS) to provide evaluation services using the prescribed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s methodology for coalitions and collaboration. ECS constructed findings with data the Coalition staff entered into the REACHing Software data collection system to create a picture of the Coalition's activities, organizational changes, and key events.
Hanover Youth Survey Data
The purpose of the survey is to collect county-wide data about the attitudes, health needs, and risk behaviors of Hanover County Youth. Consistent, reliable, and comparable data enables area agencies and schools to identify priority risk areas and to design, implement, and evaluate programs targeting these areas.
We hope to:
• Learn about the choices teens make regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; and
• Identify the factors that we can target to help protect Hanover teens from risky behaviors.
What does the survey ask?
Youth will be asked about their perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes related to alcohol and other drug use.
Focus Groups Report
Staff conducted a series of focus groups with people in recovery, Hanover Public Schools students, parents of students, and faith-based partners. The purpose of these focus groups was to gather experiences, opinions, and perceptions from diverse voices in Hanover County to further target our prevention outreach.
Hanover Adult-Parent Survey
Hanover Cares polled parents/adults who reside in Hanover County to learn about their perceptions of teen substance use, parental expectations, and parental engagement. The adult survey assessed community prevention needs from an adult/parent perspective, to help fulfill the mission of raising substance-free youth through development of healthy opportunities for both youth and parents.
Hanover Young Adult Survey Data
The 2019 Hanover Young Adult Survey was developed with assistance from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the OMNI Institute, Hanover CARES, and the Prevention and Education Committee of the Hanover Opioid Response and Prevention Task Force. Direct mail marketing and targeted sample marketing were used to collect data on substance use and other health-risk behaviors among Hanover County residents ages 18 to 25 years. Participants completed an online survey and were given the option to enter a personal email address in order to receive a $10 Visa gift card as incentive. The survey includes core (GPRA) measures such as past 30-day use (of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, opiates); age of first use; and perception of risk.
“Just Say Something” Social Media Campaign
Hanover Cares implemented the "Just Say Something" (JSS) social marketing campaign to target two risk/protective factors of youth alcohol use: perceptions of parental disapproval and risk of harm. Coalition members, stakeholders, and community partners created messages that were disseminated via newspaper ads, radio PSA's, newspaper articles, paycheck mailers, door hangers, posters, table tents, calendars, church fliers, and portable banners. The coalition delivered these items throughout the county and shared the messages on social media.
Café Conversations Report
Café Conversations is an event for parents and middle school youth to come together with community prevention partners to share and learn about substance use and other issues facing youth today. Two Café Conversation Events have been hosted by Hanover Cares to date; one at Chickahominy Middle School on February 1, 2018 and the other at Stonewall Jackson Middle School on March 25, 2019. Both events were held in the evening and dinner or snacks were provided. Along with the schools and PTA, Hanover Cares sponsored the events, which also provided resource tables and time to interact with members of other community partners, such as the Hanover Sherriff’s Office.