ADAPT, INC
All Deserve Advocacy, Prevention & Treatment
Changing lives through advocacy, education, prevention, intervention, and treatment.
Mission
The mission of ADAPT is to unite the community by providing resources and implementing prevention, intervention, and post-intervention strategies to address the causal factors that lead to sexual assault, violence, substance abuse, and other problem behaviors.
Purpose
Our purpose is to provide a comprehensive center that offers advocacy, prevention, and intervention services in the areas of sexual violence, substance abuse, and other problem behaviors of children and adults in our communities. ADAPT strives to empower children, their parents, and other adults by providing knowledge and skills through its many programs and a wide array of services. ADAPT stands ready to serve children and adults who are suffering as a result of sexual violence, substance abuse, or any other problem behavior. ADAPT encourages our community to strengthen its prevention efforts through collaboration with schools, churches, and community organizations.
Goals
1. To prevent child abuse and neglect before it happens by delivering research-based prevention programs.
2. To provide child abuse prevention and direct services to victims which includes a variety of programs and services.
3. To provide sexual assault prevention and direct services to assault victims which includes: operating a 24/7 crisis hotline; providing hospital and law enforcement victim advocates 24/7; providing sexual assault information, prevention education, professional training, awareness campaigns, inter-agency collaboration, and victim support and counseling.
4. To provide prevention and educational services targeting substance abuse.
Have the Talk
Talking to your kids early and often about drugs and alcohol reduces the chance that they will begin using them. Click here for a list of resources that can help you get the conversations started.
News Release
Pictured left to right:
Thomas "Rusty" Fornea - ADAPT Executive Director
Wendy Castillo, RN - Nurse-Family Partnership
Paula Charles - Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Managing Attorney, 2024 WPCHS President
Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services (WPCHS) held its monthly meeting at the ADAPT Office on November 19, 2024.
Ms. Wendy Castillo with Nurse-Family Partnership, was the guest speaker. She discussed the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program. NFP pairs registered nurses with first-time mothers, providing support from pregnancy until the child’s second birthday. Castillo presented a video titled Better Worlds Start with Great Mothers. Great Mothers Start with Us, highlighting the program’s success in promoting health, parenting skills, and access to resources. Ms. Castillo stated, “Nurse-Family Partnership has 45 years of research showing significant improvements in the lives of first-time moms and their children.” The program is free to eligible first-time mothers less than 28 weeks pregnant who qualify for WIC or Medicaid. The local NFP serves approximately 140 mothers monthly, delivering vital care, education, and resources.
The next scheduled meeting for WPCHS will be on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 9:30 AM at the ADAPT office, 216 Memphis St., Bogalusa. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact Rusty Fornea @ (985) 735-0160.
News Release
ADAPT is partnering with the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office to launch Project WPSO (“We Protect and Serve Others"). The project aims to empower 5th-grade students in Washington Parish by creating a positive relationship with law enforcement within the community. The program will provide students with valuable life skills and promote healthy relationships.
Officer Rickey Warren will be delivering lessons in the following categories:
1. Healthy Habits: Teaching students the importance of physical and mental well-being and encouraging them to make positive choices for their overall health.
2. Clear Communication Practices: Equipping students with effective communication skills.
3. Conflict Resolution: Providing strategies and techniques for resolving conflicts peacefully and promoting a harmonious environment within the community.
4. Decision-Making Strategies: Empower students with critical thinking skills to make informed decisions that positively impact their lives and those around them.
5. Law Enforcement's Role: Educating students on how law enforcement is vital in supporting and safeguarding the community in various situations.
Project WPSO is scheduled to begin this fall.
WPCHS News Release
WPCHS President, Paula Charles, and member, Rhonda Gunnell, commit to purchasing a pack n play to keep local infants safe while sleeping. Pictured are Paula Charles, Dana Walker, and Rhonda Gunnell.
Washington Parish Coalition on Human Services (WPCHS) supports the Cribs for Kids program that helps ensure that every baby sleeps safe. WPCHS has authorized funds to purchase 2 pack and plays to benefit parents who enroll in the Cribs for Kids program. The fiscal agency of WPCHS, ADAPT, has committed to purchasing 5 pack n plays for the program. Additionally, Paula Charles donated funds to purchase a pack n play and challenged other grandmothers to do the same. Rhonda Gunnell accepted the challenge and donated funds to purchase a pack n play. Individuals and agencies who would like to contribute to this cause can send donations to Brilliant Mindz at P.O. Box 812, Bogalusa, LA. For additional information, contact Dana Walker at Brilliant_mindz@yahoo.com. The cost of one pack and play is approximately $100.
Cribs for Kids is a National Public Safety initiative with a mission to prevent infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing safe sleep for their babies and to provide portable cribs to families who otherwise cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep.
The number one cause of deaths in infants is unsafe sleep related deaths due to accidental suffocation, asphyxia and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Brilliant Mindz is a local non-profit organization that provides educational classes, along with a pack n play, for families in need. To participate in an educational class, contact Dana Walker for information.
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