An indicator reporting program is a long-term commitment. In addition to illustrating community trends, your report will highlight the results of your efforts to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol, and tobacco problems.
Strategy is an essential tool needed to address substance use problems. Community groups with a written strategy are more likely to report greater citizen involvement, more influence on public policy change, better access to treatment, and increased diversity of funding sources.
Your strategy is very important in starting an indicator program because it will help determine which indicators you select and how you illustrate the problems you are trying to solve in your community. Answering these questions can help you affirm your strategy: - What specific harms from substance use are we trying to prevent and reduce in our community?
- How are we doing this?
- What other groups are already involved or could we get involved?
- How can we work collaboratively with others?
- How will we know we are making a difference?
Regularly incorporating community indicator data into your overall strategy can: - Provide valuable information for deciding upon local action;
- Show trends/progress over time;
- Provide a comparison of the level of local problems to those in similar communities; and
- Generate community-wide support for targeted programs and policies.
Managing an indicator program requires a team effort. To collect indicators of substance use, you need to involve people who have access to local data and information in their area of expertise.
Your community problems will change over time. Having an established group with access to data will ensure that you report those changes and adjust your strategy appropriately. | 
