Schools + Parents
Beach Cities Partnership for Youth

Beach Cities Health District partners with South Bay Families Connected, the Hermosa Beach City School District, Manhattan Beach Unified School District and Redondo Beach Unified School District to deliver programs that measurably improve the health and well-being of students and families. While physical health in the Beach Cities continues to improve, there is a growing need in the student population to address mental health and well-being.

    Beach Cities Health District is just one of more than 200 local partners in the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth that will be collaborating to achieve measurable outcomes in improving student mental health and well-being and reducing substance use. The Beach Cities Partnership for Youth is comprised of representatives from the following sectors:

    • Youth
    • Parents
    • Businesses
    • Media
    • Schools
    • Youth-serving organizations
    • Law enforcement
    • Civic and volunteer groups
    • Health care professionals
    • State, local or tribal agencies
    • Other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse
    • Religious or fraternal organizations

    Since January 2017, Beach Cities Health District has convened five stakeholder groups to address student mental health and well-being:

    In October 2019, the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition was awarded its first fiscal year of the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant in the amount of $625,000 over five years by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). As of September 2024, the Coalition was selected for another 5-year grant term to support the coalition’s work until 2029.  

    The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. The program, created in 1997 by the Drug-Free Communities Act is administered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and managed through a partnership between ONDCP and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use. 

    Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Coalitions are community-based formal arrangements for cooperation and collaboration among community groups or sectors. Each group retains its identity and agrees to work together toward a common goal. 

    Steering Committee: This group of community leaders will serve in an advisory capacity to guide the work of the Coalition and the Drug-Free Communities Grant.

    • Byung Cho, Board Member, Redondo Beach Unified School District
    • Silas Cole, Director of Programs, The Volunteer Center South Bay/Harbor/Long Beach
    • Stephanie Dryer, Founding President, National League of Young Men South Bay Chapter  
    • Moe Gelbart, PhD, Executive Director, Thelma McMillen Recovery Center, Torrance Memorial
    • Sylvia Gluck, Executive Director of Administrative Services, Hermosa Beach City School District
    • Cathey Graves, President, Manhattan Beach Unified School District
    • Lisa Greenstone, MA, Community Member and Manhattan Beach Unified School District Parent  
    • Catherine Barrow, Board Member, Hermosa Beach City School District
    • Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, Professor and Chief, UCLA Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
    • Jason Kurtenbach, Executive Director of Student Services, Redondo Beach Unified School District
    • Paul LeBaron, Chief, Hermosa Beach Police Department
    • Rachel Lloyd, LMFT, Supervisor of Youth Mental Health Project, South Bay Children’s Health Center
    • Kristine Lloyd-Tangermann, Prevention Program Specialist, Substance Abuse Prevention & Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
    • Sebastian Martin, Executive Director of Operations, New Life House   
    • Laura McIntire, Founder, South Bay Families Connected
    • Vanessa Poster, President, Beach Cities Health District Board of Directors
    • Kerry Riccio Aguero, Director of Student Services, Manhattan Beach Unified School District
    • Issac Yang, Division Chief, Redondo Beach Fire Department

    *Student Representative will be appointed with Youth Advisory Council 2024-25

    The Community Action Plan for Student Mental Health & Substance Use Prevention outlines key programs, partnerships and policies that are addressing these key health indicators. BCHD is just one of more than 200 local partners in the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition that are collaborating to achieve measurable outcomes.

    Goals of the Community Action Plan

    • Decrease prevalence of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in teens
    • Decrease stress and bullying and improve social-emotional well-being of youth
    • Increase number of parents having conversations with their children about alcohol and drugs, social media, mental health and bullying
    Red Ribbon Week

    Beach Cities Health District and the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition are raising awareness about prevention of youth substance use during Substance Abuse Prevention Month in October and Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 23-31.

    Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Overview
    Full Community Action Plan
    Talk About It: Tips and Resources
    Substance Use & Abuse
    Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition Awarded Federal Grant for Youth Substance Use Prevention