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CWC Alliance's

Youth Prevention Network

The Youth Prevention Network (YPN) is a statewide initiative that empowers teens and equips supportive adults to build healthier, more resilient communities.

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Trainings

Our training program is designed to equip youth and the adults who support them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make healthy choices and lead positive change in their communities. Through interactive modules, participants gain practical tools for mental wellness, substance misuse prevention, and leadership development.

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Mental Wellness: Choose Your Self

This module helps youth understand mental health, practice self-care, and build resilience using the Community Resiliency Model (CRM). Participants learn how to manage stress, support peers, and strengthen their overall well-being.

Making Healthy Decisions:
Choose Your Future

Focused on opioid and fentanyl education, this module provides essential awareness about the risks of substance misuse. Youth explore real-world stories, learn the facts behind the opioid epidemic and fentanyl crisis while gaining tools to make informed, healthy choices that protect their futures.

Mobilizing For Change: Choose Your Voice

In this leadership development and peer-to-peer training module, youth discover their natural strengths, explore their “why,” and learn how to influence positive change. Communication, teamwork, and advocacy skills are emphasized, empowering youth to become prevention leaders in their communities.

“When you’ve got multiple call buttons going off 
and difficult cases, call the LCS. They will be your lifeline.”
5B Unit Manager speaking to nurses
“I wish I had an LCS when I had to have all of my back surgeries last year. That would’ve helped a lot then.”
Patient with past orthopedic injuries and chronic pain
“Thank you so much for sitting with me. It has been so lonely and I just needed to talk to someone.”
Long-term stay patient
“You really helped me so much. When I first got here I was at a loss. I had so much pain I didn’t want to do the work it took to get better, but you helped me change my perspective on all the pain. Now I have a goal and a reason to push forward.”
Study participant reflecting on inpatient experience
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Interactive Leadership and Prevention

Through an interactive curriculum, leadership development, and prevention strategies, YPN prepares:

  Youth Prevention Advocates

Teen leaders are trained to promote mental wellness, healthy decision-making, and substance misuse prevention among peers.

  Youth Prevention Mentors

Supportive adults who guide, encourage, and amplify youth voices to create lasting community impact.

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Backpack Strategy

Our ‘Backpack Strategy’ is a way for youth to picture the tools they carry to create positive change.

  • Backpack = toolkit of skills, knowledge, and resources.
  • Pack what helps: coping skills, healthy choices, trusted connections.
  • Unpack what weighs you down: stigma, stress, harmful influences.
  • Share your tools to strengthen peers and their community.
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ChooseYou

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Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome every question in hopes that the Life Care Specialist role will soon spread to communities nationwide. Here are some questions we hear most often:

How do hospitals get an LCS?

Hospitals interested in bringing an LCS to their team will begin by connecting with CWC, assessing their hospital’s needs, securing leadership support, and acquiring funding. LCSs are then placed in key hospital departments where they provide critical support to patients and staff.

Do LCSs really make a difference?

They truly do. Our clinical study showed that participants who saw an LCS were discharged with 25% less opioid pain medication compared to those who did not interact with an LCS.

Do I need prior experience to become an LCS?

Medical experience is preferred but not required to become an LCS, and neither is a college degree. The Mercer School of Medicine certification is intentionally crafted to equip passionate individuals from various walks of life.

Are LCSs counselors or therapists?

LCSs are paraprofessionals who can provide a first step in educating patients about mental health, but they do not replace counselors or therapists.

What does it take to become an LCS?

The Life Care Specialist certification is a career path that stems from a deep place of empathy and compassion. The desire to make a difference in even one life is what creates a great LCS.

Where are LCSs located?

Life Care Specialists currently work in hospitals across Georgia and Arkansas, and we are ready to continue expanding!

I don’t work in a hospital and I can’t become an LCS – are there other ways to help?

There are so many avenues for fighting the opioid epidemic. Educating yourself, donating to CWC or one of our partners, carrying Narcan, and speaking out about the dangers of opioid misuse are all ways to make an impact.