History

In 2001, a group called the Alternative Learning Advisory Council (ALAC) came together for Drug Free Community funding. They began to work with regional groups, many located in Washington County, who were working on similar efforts.

In 2006, two groups came together that shared a common vision: to create communities where citizens can live in a safe, healthy environment.

The group took on a name that was the truest reflection of organizational structure that brought them together and provided their guiding principals- Washington County Anti-Drug Coalition.

This was derived from the national organization CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) and the state-level organization CADCAT (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions Across Tennessee).

We began to recognize that the name was not a complete reflection of who we are and what we do. Many thought we were a part of the Drug Enforcement Taskforce or the SWAT team, and it did not reveal our work towards prevention and promotion of positive behavior in the community.

We began to consider ideas and names or phrase that would capture what we do. To reflect that what we do involves choices, we utilized the name Washington County INSTEAD. This stemmed from an event we planned, the INSTEAD celebration, a fun, substance-free community celebration. However, this did not completely capture who the coalition was.

We later rebranded based on input from members to Insight Alliance. True to the name, we work together and provide insight and support to substance abuse issues in Washington County, TN.

The Coalition operates under the leadership of an executive committee with support of partner organizations who also act as a fiscal agent for some of the funds that provide for very basic staffing and functioning of the Coalition: In 2009, The Promise Center became our primary fiscal agency. After the Promise Center director Sandi Fisher retired in 2013, Insight Alliance programing was the only program left that was funded. The two merged.

In 2013 our efforts expanded beyond prevention. Most of our activities supported primary prevention, meaning it is to the general public and aimed at those who are not affected by the issue. We added the Lifeline Project Recovery program and we entered the world of substance use recovery. So we began to look at preventing relapse and supporting recovery and harm reduction efforts.

In 2019 we supported the Sequential Intercept Model to better understand how criminal justice involved individuals touch the system from pre arrest to post incarceration, AND to understand the gaps. The result was adding our RESET program with 2 certified peer recovery specialists that provide recovery support to individuals while incarcerated and in post incarceration.

While some funding for certain activities are provided for and supported by our staff, much of the effort goes towards supporting existing community events and organizations whose efforts will help bring a shared vision in to focus.

The collective work of the Coalition is found in the work of ALL of our PARTNERS. There are agencies, organizations, and individuals that represents several sectors in the community. The following list includes some of our partnerships: