COALITION NEWS

Translated Materials:

Modules 1-8 of the Making the Connection Toolkit have been translated to Spanish. This includes the PowerPoint slides, facilitator notes, and toolkit guides.

Click here to access the toolkit.

Modules currently available in Spanish include:

1. Making the Connection: Toxic Stress, Teen Brains, and Building Resilience
   
2. ACEs, Toxic Stress, & Adversity
   
3. Teen Brain Development
   

4. When Coping Costs: Adaptations with a Downside
   

5. Costs of Early Use: Marijuana & Cannabis Products

6. Vaping, E-cigs, and Marijuana

7. Revealing Resilience
   

8. Building Community: Resilience & Trauma-Informed Systems (For Adult Audiences)
   

Toolkit Overview:

The Making the Connection Toolkit helps youth and adults make the connection between ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), toxic stress, brain development, and substance use. The toolkit was designed for adults who work with, mentor, or care for youth ages 12-20 and want to create ongoing conversations and connections with youth.

The toolkit includes:

• Realistic examples
• Current science
• Engaging activities

The toolkit helps adults:

• Master the conversation about toxic stress, coping, and youth substance use
• Talk WITH youth instead of teaching AT them
• Guide youth to healthier coping skills and connection with people and resources

Once registered online, users receive access to all modules, slides, facilitator guides, and handouts.

The Making The Connection Toolkit is a part of the Youth Now Prevention Initiative, created by Prevent Coalition and ESD 112. Funding is provided through the Washington State Department of Health, dedicated Marijuana Funding.

An excerpt from our incredible partners at the University of Washington Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI). Below is a link to research and resources they've developed for the community.

With a legal market of cannabis products has come the wide distribution of manufactured products containing much higher levels of THC than what has been historically found in the plant.

Science to date shows a dose-response relationship between THC concentration and health consequences. Manufactured cannabis products may add further risks due to additives, residues and contaminants.

Researchers and policy makers are working to better understand these risks.

Visit this webpage to access recent reports and summaries that describe what we know so far.

Webinar Topics:

• August 12: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Tobacco Use Disorder
• August 24: Treating Youth Tobacco Use
• September 9: Treating Tobacco Dependence in Corrections Settings

Despite enormous progress in reducing smoking, tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and imposes a terrible toll on families, businesses and government. Anti-smoking efforts have not been directed toward people with behavioral health conditions as they have toward the general population resulting in tobacco-related disparities.

The Washington State Health Care Authority and Washington State Department of Health are excited to host summer webinars on integrating tobacco treatment in behavioral health. Expert speakers will share their experience, knowledge, and best practices on the topics of tobacco cessation, pharmacotherapy, intervention, youth and adult treatment including criminal justice populations, policy guidance, and integrating tobacco treatment into organizations.

This webinar series is ideal for behavioral health professionals, tobacco use dependence treatment (TUDT) professionals, tobacco intervention specialists, or any public health professional who is interested in strengthening their knowledge and skills.

Access all this and more at the webinar series landing page: https://www.preventcoalition.org/webinar-series/.

Join the Washington Poison Center from August 23 - September 3 for an educational series on Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Treatment. Through presentations from their own staff and from external experts, they’ll explore unintentional and intentional factors that can lead to overdose, how to respond to different overdose situations, how to prevent and reduce harm from overdose, and how to access resources and treatment in the state of Washington. Their goal is to open dialogue, de-stigmatize, and ensure everyone is aware of the help available in our communities.

Sessions will be held on Zoom or live-streamed to Washington Poison Center's Facebook and YouTube pages; all sessions are free and open to any interested individuals. Please see the series flyer and the series landing page for additional information.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a resource guide on youth vaping titled, "Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults."

There are five sections to the guide:

1. Issue brief
2. What the research tells us
3. Guidance for selecting and implementing evidence-based programs and policies
4. Examples of effective vaping prevention and reduction interventions
5. Resources for evaluation and quality

Click here to access the publication.

Despite what many parents believe and feel, you have tremendous influence over whether your children can access these medications and misuse them, as well as their interest in doing so. Most importantly, kids themselves say that their parents have the greatest influence over their attitudes and behaviors around substances.

Know the facts

You can help protect your children by knowing the risks and staying informed about the how, where and why young people get and misuse prescription drugs. Parents and caregivers are an essential buffer between youth and the influences that encourage them to misuse medications.

Be ready to answer your child’s questions about medications honestly and accurately and in an age-appropriate way. You want them to see you as a good and trustworthy source of information. It is better for them to come to you with questions rather than get their information from less reliable sources like friends or social media.

Have a conversation

You don’t have to sit down for the “drug talk,” but there are opportunities in even casual settings – while watching the news or a movie – where you can discuss medication misuse. This can be after dinner, before bed or on the way to or from extracurricular activities. Most importantly, be ready to listen to your child and understand their perspective.

It can help to start the conversation with open-ended questions about what they think about prescription or OTC medication. Try to avoid scare tactics or threats. Instead, explain that you genuinely care about their health. It’s helpful to have conversations frequently, and if you can, before they gain access to medications. Remember to be clear about your expectations and compassionate. To learn more about how to have an effective conversation with your child about drugs, see our guide and resources.

Set a good example

If you, a family member, or anyone in your home has been prescribed potentially addictive medications, you can demonstrate proper use for your own safety. Set a good example for your child. Make sure to take doses as prescribed and safely dispose of expired or unwanted medication. Highlight and draw attention to these actions for children so they can learn by example.

Ask questions

Medication misuse can begin with a valid prescription from a trusted health care professional. Your child may think, “If my doctor prescribed this, it must be safe.” There are obviously times when such medications are needed, helpful, and should be taken. Still, it’s important to be fully aware of the risks of these medications. Learn how to minimize the chances that your child will misuse them.

Click here to learn more and access the publication

Mail-Back Services for expired or unwanted medicines are available, free of charge, to all Washington residents upon request. Mail-Back Distribution Locations may also be available in your area. Medications in any dosage form, except for those identified as not accepted below, in their original container or sealed bag are accepted.

To protect your privacy, patients are reminded to remove all personally identifiable information on medication labels or packaging before disposing of unwanted medicines. If transferring medications to a sealed bag, please be sure to recycle the remaining packaging.

Note: The following items are not accepted in Medicine Mail-Back Envelopes: Herbal remedies, vitamins, supplements, cosmetics, other personal care products, medical devices, batteries, mercury-containing thermometers, sharps, illicit drugs, pet pesticide products, and inhalers.

Inhaler Mail-Back Services

Mail-Back Services for inhalers are available, free of charge, to all Washington residents upon request. To protect your privacy, patients are reminded to remove all personally identifiable information on medication labels or packaging before disposing of unwanted medicines.

Note: Only place undamaged inhalers in their original containers in the Inhaler Mail-Back Package. Inhaler Mail-Back Packages can only be used for inhalers and cannot accept other types of items.

Injector Mail-Back Services

Mail-Back Services for pre-filled injector products are available, free of charge, to all residents upon request.

Note: Injector Mail-Back Packages can only be used for pre-filled injector products and cannot be used for inhalers or other types of unwanted medicines.

Go to MED-Project.org to learn more and to request a pre-paid, pre-addressed mail-back package to properly dispose of unused medicine, inhalers, and prefilled injector products. On the MED-Project website, you can find convenient community kiosk drop-off sites to properly dispose of unused and expired medications as well. Do not place medicine in the trash or recycling, and never flush it down the toilet or drain as it pollutes the environment and our waterways.

If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction to opioids, now is the time to get help. Programs are available across Washington state to help you live an opioid-free life. Learn more about overdose prevention, treatment, opioid misuse prevention, safe medication storage and disposal, and more at www.GetTheFactsRx.com.

The Washington State Prevention Awards of Excellence are an opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations for their dedication and contributions to the Prevention field.

The Prevention Awards of Excellence:

• Recognize outstanding community partners, including youth engaged in prevention efforts.

• Focus statewide attention on exceptional prevention work.

• Identify exemplary substance abuse prevention programs with exceptional outcomes that can be adopted or adapted by others.

Nominations for the 2021 recipients are due August 9, 2021.

We've published our annual outcomes for the first two fiscal years of our work to a new page on the Rural Network website. This tool makes it easier to see how far we've come!

Visit Outcomes Page

Thank you for joining us for the second fiscal year of the Rural Network. We're honored and grateful to have such inspirational and dedicated volunteers.

Toolkit Overview

Volunteers across the state developed an online toolkit that empowers prevention providers to enhance their efforts in rural communities. This long-term project started with sharing stock photos and success stories, and will continue to grow with new tools.

Stock Photos

A gallery reflective of rural lifestyle and culture. Volunteers gathered, submit, sorted, and approved over 220 images that more accurately represent people in rural Washington than what you can find in typical galleries. Download and use these images in prevention flyers, campaigns, social media, and more.

Success Stories

We've captured examples of success and innovation that inspire readers to overcome challenges or barriers as they arise. These 20+ stories are sorted into categories, and help exemplify creative ways of adapting prevention strategies to local conditions.

Access

Website: https://www.preventcoalition.org/rural/toolkit.

Password: ruralrocks!

• Photo Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more photos.
• Story Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more stories.
• Website: We added a new visual outcomes page.
• Website: We've added our new Year 3 Annual Plan to the website.
  
• Map: We'll update our stakeholder map with 2020 Census Data after it's released in Winter.
  
• Assessment: We'll updating our Healthy Youth Survey assessment with 2021 survey results once published in Spring. Visit the Resources page to access previous reports.
• Professional Development: We'll begin a Conference Workgroup in September to begin planning our in-person training summit.
• Recruitment: In September we'll host another "New Member Orientation."
• Evaluation: We just finished the year end evaluation, as well as our annual report. Click here to review our annual member assessment results.

For a full grant progress timeline visit www.preventcoalition.org/rural/our-work/.

Prevent Coalition events:

Rural Steering Meeting

Monday August 16

1-2:30 p.m.

Online conference call.

For Steering Committee Members of the network.

Locks Save Lives Phase 2 Stakeholder Committee

Wednesday August 18

10-11:30 a.m.

Online conference call.

For stakeholders of the campaign and opioid prevention partners.

Coalition Coordinators Meeting

Thursday August 26

9:30-11 a.m.

Online conference call.

For Coalition Coordinators & staff in SW Washington.

Rural Network Meeting

Tuesday August 31

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call.

For rural volunteers, representatives & leaders across Washington.

Click for full calendar of coalition and community events.

Relevant events not sponsored by Prevent Coalition:

8/3 - 8/5: Region 10 Virtual Opioid Summit. $25 registration, closes July 9 at 5 p.m.

8/15: Webinar: Policy Implications of COVID-19 on Alcohol and Marijuana Use

8/23 - 9/3: Zoom Series: Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction & Treatment

8/25: Webinar: Fidelity in Environmental Prevention by CADCA

11/2 - 11/3: Washington State Prevention Summit

Our mission is connecting and supporting communities to build resilience and prevent youth substance use. We envision a healthy, thriving community free of substance abuse.

Forward this newsletter to a friend, colleague or youth leader. You may also pass our news link along: bit.ly/preventnews.

Email: preventcoalition@esd112.org
Website: www.PreventCoalition.org
Location: 2500 NE 65th Ave., Vancouver, WA, USA
Phone: 360-952-3457
Facebook: Facebook.com/PreventCoalition
Twitter: @supportyouthnow