The Last Drag Takes First Place: Danya Video Honored at ITVA-DC PEER Awards

SILVER SPRING, MD. (June 3, 2001) – Citizens concerned about drug abuse problems can now harness the power of the Internet to improve their community’s environment, decrease substance abuse problems, and make a real difference in their neighborhoods.

Danya International, Inc., a health communications company in Silver Spring, Maryland, has launched a unique and practical Website to empower community-based organizations and concerned community members to prevent substance abuse. The Website, called the Electronic Prevention Community Organizer, or ePrevco (www.eprevco.com), provides a wealth of information about environmental approaches to substance abuse prevention. Environmental approaches to prevention involve changing policies, regulations, laws, and social norms to affect the access, availability, and use of substances in the community.

However, ePrevco.com is more than a Website. Rather, it is designed to foster the development of an online community wherein community members seek and receive help, and experts and peers provide technical assistance. Also, ePrevco.com contains a wealth of resources: a resource guide, a support tutorial, a system of “peers and coaches,” and a conference corner.

Examples of environmental approaches addressed on ePrevco include strengthening the enforcement of existing legal regulations of alcohol and tobacco sales to youth; changing community social policies to strengthen regulations of alcohol and tobacco sales to youth; and using social marketing techniques and the media to increase social disapproval of alcohol and tobacco sales to minors.

An especially unique feature of ePrevco, an online Support Tutorial, is designed to guide individuals and programs through the steps required to implement and evaluate environmental approaches to substance abuse prevention, from identifying specific problems to be addressed to evaluating the effectiveness of their efforts.

“We are very excited about the launch of ePrevco. It is a valuable new tool that utilizes the newest technology and resources to empower communities to reduce substance abuse among their youth,” commented Danya President and CEO Jeff Hoffman, PhD. Hoffman will be the keynote speaker at the Technology and Prevention Second Annual Conference: Working Together for Results, held in Troy, MI, June 14–15, 2002.

About Danya International, Inc.

Danya creates, delivers, and evaluates innovative behavior change strategies that empower people of all ages and from all walks of life to live healthier and better educated lives. The company provides breakthrough services in the areas of public health communication, research and evaluation, information technology, education and training, program management support, and health product development. Founded on the guiding principles of integrity, quality, and creativity, Danya helps its public and private-sector clients to develop research-based tools and campaigns that communicate clear, concise, and effective health messages across all media forms. Founded in 1996, Danya is based in Silver Spring, Maryland. To learn more about the company, visit www.danya.com.