Expanding PC CARES to Tackle At-Risk Substance Use
PC CARES is currently in the first year of a four-year project focused on adapting the suicide prevention-focused PC CARES curriculum to prevent and address at-risk use (ASU) across Alaska. Through funding from the State Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention (OSMAP), the PC CARES team has been developing new Learning Circles that explore topics such as stigma, harm reduction, and the spectrum of substance use while centering community strengths and social safety nets.
Collaborative Leadership and Statewide Expertise
At the University of Michigan, Dr. Lisa Wexler has partnered with Dr. Lara Coughlin of the Department of Psychiatry to lead the adaptation and convene an Alaska-based Community Advisory Board (CAB), composed of community members with lived expertise, leaders from community-based organizations, state agency representatives, and content experts.
CAB members and research staff at the Pathways to Recovery Conference. L-R: Elijah Gutierrez, Lisa Wexler, Elizabeth Evans, Tiffany Hall, Lara Coughlin, Elena John, Chelsea Wilkins, Hope Finklestein and Tara Schmidt.
Chelsea Wilkins, Dr. Elizabeth Evans, and Tara Schmidt, research staff at University of Michigan, are also members of the project team helping drive curriculum development and inform community engagement strategies.
Anchorage Gathering Highlights Statewide collaboration
Recently, the University of Michigan project team and the PC CARES-ASU CAB gathered in Anchorage, AK for the Pathways to Recovery Conference from May 13 to May 15, 2025. The conference was co-hosted by the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention (OSMAP), the Division of Behavioral Health (DBH), the Alaska Behavioral Health Association (ABHA) and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and brought together stakeholders from across the state to mitigate health disparities, increase access to services and care, and advance harm reduction and recovery. Dr. Wexler, Dr. Coughlin, Wilkins, and Schmidt co-facilitated an interactive session entitled, “Transforming Bite-Sized Research Into Action: Promoting Community Conversations to Prevent and Reduce Harm From At-Risk Substance Use”, to preview the new PC CARES-ASU curriculum content and invite feedback and dialogue from community members.
Tara Schmidt speaks during the Pathways Conference breakout session, with a photo of PC CARES’ co-creators displayed behind her.
A Day of Co-Creation and Curriculum Review
On May 12, prior to the Pathways to Recovery Conference, the project team and the CAB met for a full day of curriculum review and planning to outline priorities for PC CARES-ASU. Together, the U-M researchers and community experts piloted drafts of new PC CARES-ASU Learning Circles and discussed different bite-sized research insights pertinent to harm reduction and prevention.
Next Steps: Building Strength-Based Solutions Together
Equipped with valuable community feedback, the PC CARES-ASU project team is excited to continue creating, evaluating, and refining the curriculum to build upon local strengths and solutions–expanding statewide capacity for mental wellness and at-risk polysubstance use prevention.