Proof Alliance's National Reach

Proof Alliance is the largest and most successful organization dedicated to FASD in Minnesota. We not only raise awareness, but work to prevent FASD, and help children, adults and families live with an FASD. We do this work by applying research-based best practices and fact-based education and outreach. We are taking this vision beyond Minnesota to expand to all of the United States.

Adrienne Oesterle, Past President,
Proof Alliance Board of Directors

Our focus is on making Minnesota even better at preventing FASD and providing needed services, while we also strategically expand our work nationally.

SAFEST Choice

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) occur in up to 5% of school-aged children. Prevent FASD and care for those diagnosed with it by joining The SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative.

The SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative aims to reduce the incidence of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and improve outcomes in children with suspected or diagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This program, a partnership between Proof Alliance and Boston Medical Center will use Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO®) virtual education to engage healthcare teams at community health centers (CHCs) in the Upper Midwest and New England in FASD education. Participation costs are completely covered by this program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

CHCs will participate in Prenatal and/or Pediatric ECHO® cohorts to learn FASD specialty-specific core competencies. The Prenatal Cohort will learn how to screen for and counsel patients who can become pregnant about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. The Pediatric Cohort will learn how to identify and care for children and adolescents with suspected or diagnosed FASD. Participation in both cohorts provides a streamlined approach for healthcare teams to address FASD across the lifespan with their patient population.

By becoming a SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative participant, each CHC will receive:
– Free Continuing Education and Maintenance of Certification Part 2 credits
– Stipend of $6500 to support a Community Health Center Champion

Time Commitment
Participation began in May 2022. After an introductory webinar there will be ten 60-minute virtual ECHO® sessions delivered over the course of 12 months. Each session will provide a brief lecture by experts, case-based learning and collaborative problem-solving. Participants will have access to resources to help them integrate new tools and workflows into their practice, which includes using quality improvement strategies to overcome any implementation challenges.

Clinic Staff
Participating practices are encouraged to invite all appropriate clinic staff who will be involved in implementation of FASD prevention and care. This may consist of family physicians, pediatricians, OB/GYNs, NPs, PAs, CNMs, other medical personnel, behavioral health staff, and paraprofessionals such as community health and outreach workers.

If you would like more information on how your community health center could be part of the SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative, email Kendra Gludt at kendra.gludt@proofalliance.org.

Acknowledgement of Funding
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2.9 million with 100% funded by HRSA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Expand Screening and Diagnosing FASD in Children

If you can diagnose a child as having an FASD before age 6, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, you can help the child reach his or her full potential. This is a cornerstone of our work: screening for FASD and prenatal exposure to alcohol. “This is where it starts,” says Sara Messelt, Executive Director of Proof Alliance. “If a child can start out right, be correctly diagnosed and get the help they need, there’s so much more hope for their future.”

Sadly, only a small number are diagnosed each year, and Proof Alliance’s one diagnostic clinic has a nine-month waiting list. Most states do not even have diagnostic clinics, meaning thousands of children nationally are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed each year. A survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that only 50% of pediatricians felt prepared to make an FASD diagnosis.1

Build Greater Awareness of the Risks of Drinking While Pregnant

The facts are clear: there is no safe amount, no safe time and no safe kind of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant. When a person consumes alcohol while pregnant, the developing baby does too. According to scientists, alcohol can damage every system in the body. “We have to scream about this problem to the world,” says one concerned researcher.

We get this. In 2019, we launched a powerful public awareness campaign on TV and social media in Minnesota about the health risks posed by drinking during pregnancy. We expanded the reach in early 2021 in partnership with Minnesota liquor stores, and together these campaigns have received a dramatic 56 million impressions. Now we are offering this campaign, along with branding and licensing to other states.

Proof Alliance NC Aims to Prevent FASD in North Carolina

Proof Alliance has developed an exciting pilot partnership with Proof Alliance NC.  Proof Alliance NC is an initiative of The Arc of North Carolina. This effort between Proof Alliance and The Arc of North Carolina is aimed at expanding programming to support planned, alcohol-free pregnancies. The collaboration includes prevention campaigns, a website featuring the latest evidence-based public health information, and a training program that will result in dozens of professionals across the state of North Carolina becoming FASD-informed and facilitating prevention trainings in their own communities. For more information on this collaborative visit proofalliancenc.org.

Our Children Are Sacred:
A National Center to Reduce FASD in Indigenous Populations

In order to reduce rates of FASD in Indigenous communities and support families impacted, Proof Alliance has created Our Children Are Sacred.  Our Children Are Sacred is programming designed by and for Native Americans in order to share traditional teachings, public health information, and resources to support individuals, families and communities. Click here to learn more about Our Children Are Sacred.

Increase FASD-Informed Health Professionals and Others

Ongoing, up-to-date and research-based training about FASD is needed, and we are stepping up to lead the way. In Fall 2020, Proof Alliance and Boston Medical Center (BMC), one of the top U.S. medical research institutions, announced a new model of FASD training for pediatricians and those in perinatal care in community health centers in New England and the Midwest. “This training will help bridge a knowledge gap among providers and their teams about the prevalence and impact of FASD,” says the BMC program director.

This is an impressive beginning, but Proof Alliance’s priority is to expand these education offerings more broadly. “People living with FASD will only be successful if they have a community around them that understands their world,” says Sara Messelt, Executive Director of Proof Alliance.

Among the priorities are: online and in-person conferences that include sharing new research, best practices and strategies for diagnosis and prevention; replicable train-the-trainer programs; and a national forum that gathers experts to share cutting-edge research and promising practices/treatments.

Join our
National Alliance

We would love to have more alliance partners who are interested in expanding FASD prevention, training and diagnosis nation-wide. If you would like to step up or get more information, please reach out to Kendra Gludt at 651-917-2370 or kendra.gludt@proofalliance.org.

View sources

1 Chasnoff IJ, Wells AM, King L. Misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses in foster and adopted children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Pediatrics. 2015;135(2).