Elko’s PACE Coalition
PACE Coalition… What is it? And, what’s it doing here?
PACE, which stands for Partners Allied for Community Excellence, is a 501c(3) nonprofit established in Elko County in 2001 to reduce underage alcohol use in Northeastern Nevada communities and prevent or delay the start of alcohol consumption by youth and young adults until they reach legal age.
After tackling underage drinking, PACE’s scope of work expanded to include tobacco and other drugs like marijuana, meth, steroids and more. We became a community anti-drug coalition and joined Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA).
CADCA members across the country seek to ward off substance use before it starts. Preventing drug problems from developing is much less costly than treating problems and saves everyone, including taxpayers, money. CADCA membership gives PACE access to the latest research into drug trends and prevention science in addition to two training conferences each year.
As PACE and other coalitions continued efforts to prevent or reverse drug use trends, they’ve learned how other factors like low attachment to one’s community or lack of positive activities for youth put people at greater risk of substance use. Identifying risk factors in communities is a big part of what PACE does, as is identifying and increasing protective factors in communities.
PACE Coalition’s prevention roll has expanded to support as many agencies, organizations and programs as possible that are designed to improve the overall wellness of communities in Elko County and, more recently Eureka and White Pine counties, now part of PACE’s coverage area. It has become more of a community wellness coalition than simply a substance use prevention coalition.
In this broader capacity, PACE continues its educational activities, its youth programs, Mental Health First Aid training and Diabetes Self-management classes to name just a few. PACE Coalition supports communities in the three counties with sub-grants for youth-oriented programs. It subsidizes training opportunities for law enforcement, social service and other agencies. It brings experts to speak to professionals and the public about trends and best practices for healthy communities.
One might think of PACE as a resource and partner for those seeking to keep people of all ages and the communities in which they live healthy and safe.
Healthy Communities …Whatever it Takes
To learn more about PACE Coalition programs, call (775) 777-3451 or visit www.pacecoalition.org.
The public is welcome to attend monthly meetings of coalition partners held the first Tuesday of each month at the Elko County Library, 720 Court Street in Elko.