Montage Health’s Ohana program, in partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and the Drug-Free Communities grant coalition, is hosting a Youth Substance Use Symposium Thursday. The event will highlight efforts to prevent substance use among local youth.

Local students will present their involvement with campus drug prevention clubs and showcase projects they’ve been working on. Community leaders and public health experts will also be in attendance, with a live presentation on how to administer naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. The event will take place from 5-7 p.m. in a hybrid format.

“This event is about more than raising awareness,” said Krista Reuther, assistant director of Community Health and Prevention at Ohana in a news release. “It’s a celebration of youth leadership and a powerful reminder that young people are not just impacted by substance use — they are key to driving change. Their voices, creativity and commitment to prevention are the heartbeat of this coalition.”

Ohana was created in 2018 after a nearly $106 million donation from Bertie Bialek Elliott. The program is a child, adolescent and family mental health program run through the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

Named after the Hawaiian word for family, the program is family-centered and offers access to high-quality diagnostic and evidence-based treatments for youth dealing with mental health issues.

Students from Monterey Peninsula Unified will present Thursday on the work they have been doing as members of clubs established by the local Drug-Free Communities coalition.

Past initiatives led by students in connection with the coalition have included awareness videos, creation and placement of naloxone distribution bins in high-risk areas and mental health campaigns.

“Partnering with Ohana’s Youth Substance Use Symposium has empowered our students to take an active role in prevention efforts,” said Donnie Everett, assistant superintendent of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support at the district. “It’s inspiring to see youth leading these important conversations.”

Funded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug-Free Communities Program, the initiative is aimed at preventing substance use among youth through mobilizing community awareness and supporting local strategies. The program funds over 700 coalitions nationwide with grants up to $125,000 per year and is administered in partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Montage Health Foundation administers the DFC grant on behalf of Ohana, which alongside its Prescribe Safe program and the Monterey Peninsula Unified, leads Monterey County’s local coalition.

Prescribe Safe is a collaborative effort across several Monterey County agencies dedicated to prescription drug safety. Montage Health, Community Human Services and Natividad Medical Center are among over 65 local businesses and agencies working together to address the opioid addiction crisis.

The program works to reduce inappropriate prescribing of addictive pain medications, increase access to addiction and improve public awareness on the dangers of prescription drugs and other addictive substances.

“I am proud to work with these students who spend their free time learning about dangerous substances available in our community and then come up with compassionate strategies to keep their friends and classmates safe,” said Allison Duckworth, Montage Health’s program coordinator via news release. “Each school has taken a unique approach, and I am excited to showcase how they are influencing their peers.”

The event will have limited in-person space at the Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health. There will also be a virtual option available for the community to tune in. To register, visit www.montagehealth.org/symposium.