Developing Leadership to Reduce Substance Abuse

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, HHD is conducting research and developing new tools for substance abuse treatment and prevention, focusing specifically on the immigrant experience. HHD researched, and developed expertise in, the intersection between immigration, acculturation, and substance abuse. Based on its findings, HHD produced a Web site, Connecting Across Cultures–Promoting the Health of New Americans, which contains informational materials designed to increase understanding about substance abuse and the immigrant experience. HHD also carried out a community-based research project, NJ Immigrant Health Promotion Project, which is currently underway in seven New Jersey counties that have high numbers of immigrants/migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean. This project examines the relationship between acculturation, parenting, and utilization of substance abuse services.