October is Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month and this year the theme is “Telling the Prevention Story.” In Rhode Island, prevention providers across the state are deeply committed to preventing and addressing substance use and mental health challenges so their communities can thrive. Julia Brida (City of Providence) and Lisa Carcifero (Blackstone Valley Regional Coalition) play key roles in ensuring our state’s substance misuse prevention efforts are successful, sustainable, and collaborative.
Could you please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your role in prevention as Program Manager at the City of Providence’s Department of Housing & Human Services?
My name is Julia Brida, and I joined the City of Providence’s Department of Housing & Human Services in July 2025. As a Program Manager, I oversee the Providence Regional Prevention Task Force, the Mayor’s Coalition on Behavioral Health, and several substance use prevention grants. I grew up in Arkansas and earned my degree from Keene State College in New Hampshire. I have called Providence home for the past five years. Outside of work, I enjoy live music, biking, and exploring new restaurants and coffee shops around the city.
This year, the theme of SAMHSA’s Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month is Telling the Prevention Story, what are your motivations for working in substance misuse prevention? What was your career path to working in prevention?
Substance use prevention is personally meaningful to me because I’ve witnessed its impact on people close to me—and I know millions of others are affected every year. While access to treatment has improved, prevention plays a crucial role in reducing addiction rates, easing financial burdens on communities, and mitigating long-term health consequences. I studied Public Health with a concentration in Community Health because I’m passionate about addressing public health challenges through education and proactive approaches. Prevention is one of the most powerful tools we have—not just for reducing disease and disability, but also for lessening the emotional, societal, and economic toll of preventable health issues. My path in prevention has been guided by a deep belief in its potential to build healthier, more resilient communities.
The City of Providence has historically collaborated with schools, senior centers, and parks to provide prevention programming on prescription drugs and tobacco. Would you be able to expand on the specific programs that the city has found successful and your organization’s relationship with community partners?
The City of Providence has seen success through a number of prevention programs in collaboration with community partners:
- Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL): This program serves adults 55+ and focuses on improving strength, mobility, and balance. It also includes education on opioid and substance use. In addition to supporting physical health and prevention, it provides a social setting for older adults to connect.
- Chronic Pain Self-Management Program: This evidence-based program offers education on exercise, nutrition, appropriate medication use, and tools for living with chronic pain. It empowers older adults to maintain active, fulfilling lives while fostering peer support and connection.
- Mayor’s Youth Prevention Teams (MYPT): In partnership with Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS), we coordinate school-based prevention teams at several middle and high schools across Providence. These teams meet biweekly with RISAS Student Assistance Counselors to engage in peer-led education on substance use, overdose prevention, and adolescent mental health. Each team completes a final project presented to the Mayor’s Coalition on Behavioral Health at the end of the school year. The program has strengthened collaboration between school-based prevention and citywide youth advocacy—and students have expressed excitement to get started this school year!
Providence also secures grants and allocates funding to support many local programs that help people directly impacted by the opioid crisis. We announced an $870,000 investment in overdose prevention programs earlier this year and became the first municipality in Rhode Island and one of the first in the nation to support and license an overdose prevention center (OPC). Since opening in January, the OPC has been a tremendous success: it has seen more than 3,500 visits and conducted 113 life-saving interventions, with EMS needing to be called only once. The City allocated $250,000 in opioid settlement funds to help make the OPC a reality. We’ve also secured a $2.3 million Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) grant from SAMHSA, equipping EMS teams and community members with tools and training to respond to overdoses.
How can folks get involved in helping to support the prevention work that the City of Providence does? What advice do you have for people looking to start working or volunteering in prevention?
There are several ways to get involved in prevention work here in Providence:
- General Involvement: Anyone interested in supporting prevention initiatives can contact me directly at Jbrida@providenceri.gov. We also welcome community members from all backgrounds to join the Mayor’s Coalition on Behavioral Health (MCBH)—a collaborative space for raising awareness, developing partnerships, and driving action on key public health issues. Learn more here. The MCBH meets monthly and meetings are open to the public.
- Youth (Ages 11–17): Youth can contact Venus Wolo at Vwolo@providenceri.gov to learn about joining the United Youth Sub-Committee, a branch of the MCBH. This group teaches youth about prevention best practices and gives them a voice in shaping policy and programs through engaging, hands-on activities.
- Young Adults (Ages 18–25): Young adults can reach out to Jen Wall at Jwall@providenceri.gov to get involved with the United Young Adults Sub-Committee, a branch of the MCBH. This group focuses on prevention education, outreach, leadership development, and creating positive community change.
My advice for new preventionists is to just take that first step! Prevention is a rewarding and impactful field, and many organizations are eager for volunteers and new ideas. Whether you’re participating in events, joining a coalition, or educating peers, your involvement can make a real difference for individuals and the broader community
Is the City of Providence hosting any events for Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month that you would like to share?
We will be hosting a Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 25, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Providence Public Safety Complex (325 Washington St.). This event provides residents with a safe, convenient way to dispose of unused or expired medications—and it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of proper medication disposal in preventing misuse.
Could you please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your role as Regional Coordinator of the Blackstone Valley Regional Coalition?
I, Lisa Carcifero, am pleased to share this profile of my 25+ years in the Prevention Field as the Executive Director/Regional Director of the Woonsocket Prevention Coalition Corporation, dba the Blackstone Valley Prevention Coalition (BVPC). The BVPC region is the largest region per capita and benefits from the range of communities, urban, suburban and rural, with three of the four Core Cities in Rhode Island housed in our region. Our evidence-based and evidence-informed efforts reflect and support our multiplicity.
This year, the theme of SAMHSA’s Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month is Telling the Prevention Story, what are your motivations for working in substance misuse prevention? What was your career path to working in prevention?
After graduating from Lincoln High School, I attended Stonehill College and received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Biology. I then received my Master of Social Work, Clinical with a concentration in Medical Social Work from Boston College and have been practicing as a Private Practice clinician for over 33 years. I began my role in prevention in 2000 at which time I was also a treatment provider. Then I was contacted by the Executive Director and founder of the Woonsocket Prevention Coalition, Ann Sutherland Auclair, to consider being a consultant for the organization, which meant coordination of subcommittees and serving as a radio show host at the onset. Little did I know, my predecessor was planning her transition and positioning me as her successor. At that time, I was eager to learn about prevention as the beginning of the continuum of care. In January of 2001, I began my role as Executive Director of the Woonsocket Prevention Coalition and never looked back. I became responsible for overseeing the City of Woonsocket’s prevention efforts and diversifying its funding base. In 2017, as BHDDH moved to regionalization of the Prevention Coalitions and The Woonsocket Prevention Coalition began serving as the Administrative/Fiscal agent for the region, which is comprised of Coalitions from Burrillville, Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Pawtucket and Woonsocket and the Coalitions agreed to be known as The Blackstone Valley Prevention Coalition (BVPC), our business DBA.
The Blackstone Valley Regional Coalition has historically collaborated with local schools and families to provide afterschool prevention programming, information on the Rhode Island Social Host Law, and to promote mental health resources. Would you be able to expand on the specific programs that your coalition has found successful and your organization’s relationship with community partners?
At the heart of the BVPC is its community collaborations and partnerships that support work within the communities, schools and families. The partnerships and community-based processes allow for maximization of effort within the communities from community events to media campaign development, the variety of perspectives and feedback is priceless in prevention. In addition, through the development of content-specific and community/population-specific materials, information is disseminated to meet each target group’s needs through eight evidence-based programs. Alternative activities are also provided to youth through individual and regional after-school youth groups/programs. For example, Lincoln has its PAWS (Prevention, Awareness, Wellness, Support) program, Pawtucket has CSI (Creating Solutions for Independence), Woonsocket has ATI (Above the Influence), SWAG (Student Wellness and Growth) and LEAD (Learn, Educate, Advocate, Demonstrate) programs. Strong environmental strategies are based in support from our law enforcement partnerships with compliance checks and through our organically developed media campaigns focusing on current issues facing our communities.
What began as a focus on substance use prevention, has morphed into a holistic approach to overall health and wellness through comprehensive prevention efforts through a lens of acceptance and understanding of all populations and communities. The BVPC no longer works in a silo, but has been transformed through the integration of all aspects of prevention, including substance use, mental health and well-being, physical health, prevention within recovery, violence and safe schools and communities to name a few.
How can folks get involved in helping to support the prevention work that the Blackstone Valley Regional Coalition does? What advice do you have for people looking to start working or volunteering in prevention?
These past 25 years have been an incredible ride alongside some amazing Prevention Professionals that have become part of my work family. I have been blessed to grow with the field of Prevention and am so proud of our Region’s work within our communities. Prevention has seen tremendous growth through the credentialing of its workforce and strengthened through its evidence-based programming. I have never been so proud to be a preventionist and I am forever thankful to those in the field that have had the forethought to build this respected field. I encourage individuals to consider a career in Prevention as there is great reward for protecting children and families, educating communities and engaging partners in building safe and substance free schools, communities and families.
Is the Blackstone Valley Regional Coalition hosting any events for Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month that would you like to share?
Specifically focusing on Substance Abuse Prevention month, most of our communities organize activities both in partnership with our schools and Student Assistance Counselors or within their communities during Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31, 2025. Lincoln PAWS will be planting tulip bulbs in memory of DEA Agent, Kiki Camerena, and will be available within the schools to raise awareness to substance use prevention. Pawtucket Prevention Coalition, the Pawtucket School Department and the Mayor’s Office are holding a Red Ribbon Rally and Poetry contest for students. Woonsocket is hosting a Trunk or Treat for families and will attend the Woonsocket Middle School’s Trunk or Treat and will have the BVPC trunk decorated with Red Ribbon educational materials.
