Prevention Hero Shelley Alves
This month we are honored to nominate Shelley Alves, Sonoma County Health Program Manager, as our Panaptic Prevention Hero!
What led you to this important work?
After years working in treatment and crisis care, I often found myself wondering: What if we had reached this person sooner? That question stuck with me. When I transitioned from the Crisis Stabilization Unit to the DUI/Prevention program, I saw firsthand the potential for prevention to change the trajectory of someone’s life before tragedy strikes.
What solidified my passion was hearing directly from young people—those using their voices to advocate for education, services, and care. Their energy lit a fire in me. Prevention quickly became more than a role—it became a calling. And honestly, I haven’t taken a day off since (almost literally). This work is personal. It's urgent. And I love it.
What lessons have you gained about preventing youth substance use?
Substances often meet real emotional needs—connection, relief, acceptance, ease. If we’re going to be successful, prevention must offer meaningful alternatives that are just as accessible. We need to be present where youth are—visible, consistent, and engaged.
Always listen first—then follow through on what you said you'd do. Trust is everything. Relationships matter, with both youth and their families. Be real. Be human. That’s where the real work begins.
What is your role, particularly related to youth opioid use prevention and education?
I oversee our DUI and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Prevention Programs. In the DUI program, we serve youth referred by the Juvenile Court and provide substance use education. This includes opioid awareness, harm reduction strategies, life skills, setting healthy boundaries, and supporting mental health.
On the prevention side, I've launched a Fentanyl and Naloxone (Narcan) training and distribution initiative that’s rapidly gaining momentum. We've held trainings for youth across Sonoma County and are expanding to school campuses, the YMCA, Latino Service Providers, and other youth-centered organizations.
We also partner with community-based organizations to support Friday Night Live (FNL) chapters at middle and high schools. These youth-led clubs promote leadership and empower young people to be active agents of change. I’m deeply committed to growing this work and developing innovative programs that reflect what youth are asking for—because they know what they need. My goal is to ensure we meet them there.
Please share two of your key achievements through this work.
Launching our Narcan distribution and training program through a partnership with DHCS has been a major milestone. We created an email ([email protected]) and immediately saw a wave of requests. The Police Department helped promote the effort, putting us on the map as a go-to provider. This visibility is saving lives.
Expanding our partnership with Panaptic was another big win. We secured funding to scale up our reach and offer more families and youth the critical education they’ve been asking for. But honestly, I believe my greatest achievements are still ahead. Prevention is gaining real momentum, and we’re just getting started.
What is the biggest challenge you've experienced in this work?
The biggest challenge has been navigating government systems that move more slowly than the urgency this work demands. Building teams and partnerships fast enough to meet community needs can feel like a race against time. And while we know youth are central to prevention, their families and adult allies need to be engaged too—for this work to truly take root and last.
If you had a magic wand, how would you address this challenge?
Oh, what wouldn’t I do?! At the top of my list: I’d hire a team of passionate AODS counselors and peer providers to create a mobile prevention outreach unit—ready to show up at schools, sports games, rallies, resource fairs—anywhere youth are. I’d also launch free, community-wide Prevention Education Nights to bring people together to learn about harm reduction, SUD, and how to live well. We need to make prevention visible, personal, and part of everyday life. (I’d also love a Narcan vending machine on every corner – like the old Red movie boxes).
What experiences have inspired you to continue this work?
One that stands out was a recent Fentanyl and Narcan training we led at Latino Service Providers. Youth, parents, and others all came together, eager to learn and take action. The energy was powerful—it reminded me why I show up every day.
On the other side, the pain of loss keeps me going too. Just recently, we lost three community members to overdoses in a single weekend. It's heartbreaking—and completely preventable. I carry them with me in this work. Their stories fuel my commitment to make sure others don’t suffer the same fate.