“Everyone tells us not to do it, but no one explains why. I like that these courses taught me how substance use affects my body and my brain, so I can make healthy choices for myself.”
— A Sonoma County student
This is the outcome a knowledge-based, non-stigmatizing prevention approach is designed to produce — and exactly what Sonoma County DHS set out to achieve.
Last year’s results across Sonoma County schools
231.4%
growth in IMPACT licenses in use across the county, 2023–2025
+58%
rise in student confidence helping a friend struggling with substance use
+54%
increase in understanding how marijuana and alcohol affect brain development
80%+
of students rated IMPACT at least “helpful” for understanding effects on mental health, wellness, and academics
The vision: a proactive, countywide approach to youth prevention
Sonoma County DHS’s mission is to “promote and protect the health and well-being of every member of the community.” For DHS, that means prioritizing primary prevention — investing upstream before risk factors escalate, rather than responding only after problems emerge. The county tracks youth health trends through the California Healthy Kids Survey, using the data not as a warning to react to but as a guide for where to invest next.
DHS thought beyond the classroom from the start, seeking a solution that would equip families to reinforce that learning at home — a decision backed by evidence: one study found that when parents had substance use prevention conversations with their middle-schoolers, those students’ alcohol-or-marijuana use dropped from 18.2% to 10.2%.
Above all, DHS wanted something that could promote long-term, sustainable change: evidence-based, cost-effective, and able to scale across the county’s multiple, diverse school districts.
The vision, in a nutshell
“Evidence-informed investments upstream to have downstream results that reverberate in the community for years to come.”
Will Gayowski, Substance Use Disorders and Recovery Services Section Manager, Sonoma County DHS
The solution: IMPACT as the right fit for a countywide strategy
IMPACT is an online, community-based, evidence-informed program that builds students’ knowledge, skills, and confidence to make healthier choices — grounding every lesson in real science about how substances affect the developing brain, academic and athletic performance, and mental health.
Built to scale
Standalone online courses any staff member can deliver — no prevention expertise required and no original curriculum to develop. Interactive lessons, quizzes, discussion-based learning, and scenarios reach different learning styles, and students move at their own pace.
The educator toolkit cuts prep further with ready-made discussion guides and exercises for the conversation after each lesson.
Community-wide by design
Family and Educator courses sit alongside the Student courses. The Family course gives parents practical guidance and shared language, with Spanish translation for accessibility across Sonoma County’s large Hispanic and Latino population.
“IMPACT was also one of our more cost-effective solutions to reach youth, schools, teachers, parents, and others.”
Grounded in evidence
Evidence-based strategies and skill-building that strengthen protective factors — knowledge, refusal and decision-making skills, and supportive relationships across students, families, and educators.
In line with prevention science principles calling for programs that are developmentally appropriate, reinforce protective environments, and engage multiple levels of influence.
Visibility the county didn’t have before
IMPACT’s pre- and post-course student surveys give DHS a clear, ongoing picture of where students stand, and county leaders the outcome data a proactive approach depends on.
“There is a strong foundation in statistical analysis in the IMPACT program outcomes.”
Eight-year independent evaluation · vs. national averages for prevention programs
6.5x
more effective at changing student views about the addictive potential of cannabis
6.4x
more effective at improving confidence in understanding cannabis’s effects on brain development
6.2x
more effective at increasing confidence in helping a friend with cannabis-related problems
5x+
more effective in changing teen views about cannabis and academic performance
Partnership and sustainability
Since DHS launched IMPACT in 2022, Panaptic’s Customer Success team has partnered with educators at every stage — building implementation plans that fit each school’s existing schedule and curriculum, running faculty orientations, helping introduce IMPACT to students, and checking in through the year.
That partnership doesn’t stop at launch. Panaptic gathers feedback from educators, students, county partners, and school leaders to keep strengthening the curriculum and incorporate the latest prevention science.
“DHS has an effective established working relationship with the Panaptic team that has been reliable, impactful, and shown that they can scale up or down in accordance with community needs and preferences.”
Will Gayowski, Sonoma County DHS
The results: evidence that a proactive investment delivered
The clearest indicator of success is the pace at which Sonoma County schools requested expanded access. Between 2023 and 2025, IMPACT licenses in use across the county grew by 231.4%. “The program has been well received in the community,” Gayowski says, “and schools are requesting more licenses to support their needs.”
Confident in what IMPACT was delivering, DHS moved quickly to expand. In 2025, when Panaptic launched IMPACT for Alcohol Use Prevention and IMPACT for Opioids/Fentanyl Use Prevention — with matching Family and Educator content — DHS brought all of it to Sonoma County schools right away.
+58%
Student confidence in helping a friend struggling with substance use rose by more than 58%.
+54%
Across the Marijuana and Alcohol courses, understanding of how these substances affect brain development increased 54%.
+50%
In the Opioids/Fentanyl course, confidence in obtaining and using fentanyl test strips and Narcan to help a friend rose 50%.
80%+
More than 80% of students rated IMPACT at least “helpful” for understanding effects on mental health, wellness, academics, and brain function.
IMPACT has been “an invaluable asset to our district,” with excellent results in students’ shifted perspectives and high overall satisfaction with the program.
Matt Marshall, M.Ed. Retired Director of Student Services, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District
Sonoma County DHS didn’t wait for a larger-scale problem to justify investing in prevention. They invested early, selected a partner capable of countywide scalability, and let outcome data validate that decision — a model for what’s possible when a county leads proactively.
“I like how they answered many questions I didn’t even know I had! They tell you so much helpful information. I am now more able to make healthy choices for myself.”
— A Sonoma County student
Invest upstream in your county.
We’ll walk your team through countywide implementation, the Family and Educator courses, and the outcome reporting your leaders will see.
Panaptic provides a compassionate, engaging, and evidence-based substance use prevention curriculum that shifts perspectives in your community.