New alcohol program aimed at reducing high-risk drinking

By Elizabeth Butler
Photo Editor

UNCP is one of five universities in North Carolina to be a part of the new “Study to Prevent Alcohol Related Consequences” (SPARC), which is designed to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol related consequences in Pembroke, Lumberton and campus communities.

The National Institute of Health granted $150,00, for three years, through the Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine helped fund SPARC.

UNCP was one of five universities that will be a part of the three-year study.

The other universities are Duke, Western Carolina, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State.

Jennifer Smith, who is the alcohol awareness program coordinator for UNCP, has between eight and nine years of experience in community health.

Smith comes to Pembroke from Southeastern Regional Mental Health Center, where she started a program aimed at high-risk drinking among students.

“We are going to be working on changing the environment and hoping to prevent people from developing problems in the first place,” Smith said.

SPARC has two goals that need to be completed within the three-year period.

“We have two main goals we have to focus on. One is promoting positive social norms and the second goal is to reduce availability,” Smith said. “What I am really excited about is we want everyone to have an input. In other words it’s not just me saying this is what we are going to do and it’s not Wake Forest saying this is what we are going to do. It is not just the UNCP administration saying that. It is going to be this coalition saying this is what we recommend and how we need to address these issues.”

The coalition will be made up of: administrators, staff, faculty, students, the Pembroke and Lumberton communities, local retailers, local law enforcement, elected officials and other community treatment providers.

Smith said SPARC is still trying to get everything set up and in place.

“We are still in the early process of trying to identify people and find out who wants to get involved,” Smith said.

For more information on becoming a part of SPARC, you may contact Smith at 521-6580.