Community Partnerships Profile: North Coastal Prevention Coalition

Collaborating with the Community

Tri-City Medical Center is excited to highlight the North Coastal Prevention Coalition (NCPC) as our COASTAL Commitment partner for this month! With our COASTAL Commitment initiative, we are working to effectively address the unmet health needs in our community. Currently, Tri-City has partnered with over 50 local organizations to positively impact these challenges.
The NCPC is a non-profit organization that began in 1993 as the Oceanside Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. The mission of NCPC is to reduce the harm of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs in the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Vista through community action, education, support, and collaboration. Recently, NCPC has adopted the ‘One Choice’ Initiative in the advocacy and work NCPC does in the community. The ‘One Choice’ movement is for reasons of health and safety, no use of any alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and other drugs for youth under 21.

NCPC, a former Drug-Free Communities grantee, is widely recognized as a national best practice leader and innovator in the field of substance abuse prevention. For the past decade NCPC has earned awards including the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Got Outcomes Coalition of Excellence and National Coalition of the Year in 2008, and two national exemplary awards from the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) in 2010 and 2018 for Innovative Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Practices and Policies.

420 Remix & Community Forums

Through Tri-City’s partnership with the NCPC, we have sponsored their events to bring education and social support to North County. Tri-City is a proud partner of their annual 420 Remix event that encourages youth to participate in their carnival-like event to avoid the common use of marijuana on that specific day. Additionally, for many years NCPC has hosted a Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest that engages youth to use their artistic abilities to engage other youth to pursue healthy lifestyle choices. Tri-City also helped facilitate, support, and promote NCPC’s Vista community forum in October 2019 with over 250 parents and students in attendance, and live media coverage on Fox5 news.

Bi-annual Take Back Days

Tri-City’s sponsorship has helped facilitate their bi-annual Take Back Days in partnership with the San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force (PDATF) and the DEA where Tri-City hosted as an on-site location. Our site had one of the largest amounts of prescription drugs confiscated in the county
with over 700 pounds of medication collected.

North Coastal Prevention Youth Coalition (NCPCYC)

As part of NCPC’s mission, an important component is to actively engage youth in alcohol and drug prevention through advocacy and policy changes within the community. Tri-City collaborated with the NCPCYC to support 9 of their teens in building life and leadership skills with the attendance to the County’s Friday Night Live (FNL) Youth Development Institute camp in January 2020.

Active Leadership

As a non-profit organization, NCPC relies on the support and leadership of volunteers for many of their activities, including service on the Board of Directors.

Aaron Byzak, Chief External Affairs Officer for Tri-City Medical Center, has served on the NCPC Board of Directors for seventeen years, including seven as president (2008-2014, 2020). Aaron first attended NCPC’s ten year anniversary event in 2003 as a young staffer for former State Senator Bill Morrow. He immediately joined the Board of Directors.

“I knew the second that I heard their mission that this was an organization that was leading on helping youth choose the healthy path and break the cycle that can often times mar families for generations, “ Aaron said.

Growing up in a family that was negatively impacted by drug addiction and alcoholism, Aaron has a personal knowledge about how youth substance use can lead to unintended consequences that can last a lifetime.

As part of his ongoing leadership with NCPC, Aaron has led various initiatives including the design and development of the San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force (PDATF), made presentations for regional and national groups, advocated for policy change to protect youth and reduce access to dangerous substances and represented NCPC in front of local and national media ranging from television news stations to the Wall Street Journal.

Whether or not substance use has personally impacted your family, it has a devastating impact in our communities.  NCPC provides an excellent forum for those interested in community advocacy to get involved in prevention and make a difference.

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