The Response Winter 2020-2021 - 16

FEATURE

Reimagining Prevention:
Berks County Transitions
to the Virtual World

I

n March 2020, life as we knew it made an abrupt shift
to response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We knew we
could not allow COVID-19 to overshadow the on-going
need to protect our community from the impact of substance
use disorder and other addictive diseases. As opportunities
for in-person interaction and prevention education programs
were curtailed, it became imperative to develop vibrant ways
to continue to connect with youth, parents, and community
members. With necessity being the mother of invention,
COCA began the process of reimaging prevention in a virtual
world. Within several weeks of the shutdown, we began
offering online prevention programming and partnering
with schools and communities to identify opportunities
to sustain key services. As our virtual prevention presence
continues to expand, we encourage you to join our virtual
community and share with friends and families our essential
resources:

16

THE RESPONSE // WINTER 2020-2021

Youth
With schools switching to hybrid schedules or all virtual
education, our prevention specialists have been busy
developing and posting virtual educational resources for
students. These include live Zoom lessons on prevention
topics such as gaming, vaping and prescription drugs, as
well as pre-recorded lessons on a variety of subjects. Our
youth on-demand lessons are available for every grade level,
focusing on current topics from Coping Skills to Escaping
the Vape. In addition to on-demand offerings, prevention
specialists conduct real-time virtual lessons at the request of
Berks County school districts. Connect with these lessons at:
https://cocaberks.org/virtual-learning.
https://www.cocaberks.org/virtual-learning
The Response Winter 2020-2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Response Winter 2020-2021
