Please share your mission. 
Our mission is to prevent and treat the problems that substance abuse causes individuals, families and communities. We are committed to providing high-quality, affordable services to all in need.
Describe how your organization lives/realizes its mission.
PEER Services has been providing substance abuse prevention services to the community for several years. Prevention staff is consistently engaged in efforts to modify services in response to new research in evidence-based practices as well as changing community needs based on review of local and/or national trends. PEER Services’ prevention program continues to work with the community on collecting data to determine substance use rates within the township. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered at New Trier High School in 2016, cigarette use remains low at 7% and, contrary to national trends, prescription drug misuse is at 8% (national rates are at 17%). However, despite these successes, there is still a critical need for substance abuse prevention: alcohol use has increased to 45%, marijuana use is at 23% and while traditional cigarette use is low, 19% of students use e-cigarettes. With the data and services provided by the Prevention program, PEER hopes to tackle issues of early onset of substance use, and impart resources and strategies to teens, parents and educators to better identify and resolve these problems in their communities.
