COALITION NEWS

News Release from ESD 112

More than 875 residents in Clark and Skamania counties safely dropped off a total of 3,743 pounds of unused medications and syringes during a multi-site drug take-back event on Saturday, April 30th.

The medication disposal event was held at six locations in two Southwest Washington counties and was organized by a committee of local youth substance misuse prevention coalitions, law enforcement agencies, medical clinics, community business partners, and volunteers.

The Prevent Coalition would like to thank PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care, Kaiser Permanente Orchards, the Battle Ground Police Department, Washougal Police Department, the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department, and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office for hosting the six event sites.

“We had a decent turnout for the events across our region,” said Kelley Groen-Sieckmann, community prevention specialist with the Prevent Coalition and ESD 112. “It’s always inspiring to see members of the community committed to keeping medications out of the environment and our drinking water, as well as taking preventative measures to protect their children, families, and pets from accidental exposure to potentially dangerous medications and reduce the chances of misuse that can lead to prescription drug addiction,” explained Groen-Sieckmann.

Drug take-back events have been organized by prevention coalitions and law enforcement agencies in Clark County since 2010. The events are now held twice a year (April and October) in multiple counties, and in partnership with the Washington State Health Care Authority and DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. All discarded medications are secured in boxes and transported for incineration by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Medicine take‐back events and year-round disposal programs are the only safe and most environmentally protective way to dispose of medicine. Prescription and over-the-counter medicine should never be flushed or thrown in the trash, because it pollutes the environment and waterways, puts kids and pets at risk for accidental poisonings, and increases accessibility and potential for misuse by those for whom it wasn’t prescribed.

If you missed Saturday’s drug take back event, unwanted medications can be disposed of for free at year-round collection sites across Southwest Washington. Prescription and over-the-counter medications including controlled substances, such as painkillers and tranquilizers, can be taken to participating law enforcement agencies and pharmacies. Sharps and syringes can be disposed of for free at local participating transfer and recovery centers or at any of Share’s syringe program locations. Visit www.med-project.org to find free nearby medicine collection sites or to order pre-paid postage envelopes to dispose of medicine by mail. Visit bit.ly/disposemedsharps to download a list of year-round medicine and syringe disposal sites in Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties.

Simple steps like properly disposing of medications and storing medicine in a locked location can help prevent accidental poisonings, prescription drug misuse, and overall decrease the spread of the opioid problem we are seeing in our region and across the country. To learn about the benefits and how to store medicine in a locked location, and take the pledge to lock your meds, visit www.LocksSaveLives.org.

Convenient locations exist for year-round disposal of unwanted or expired medicines. Use the links below to find one in your county:

Clark-Year Round Disposal flyer

Skamania Year Round Disposal flyer

Klickitat Year Round Disposal flyer

**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. Find out more at www.GetTheFactsRx.com or Washington State residents can call the Washington Recovery Helpline at 866-789-1511 for confidential crisis intervention and treatment referral services.

In mid-April, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that JUUL must pay $22.5 million to resolve Ferguson’s lawsuit against the e-cigarette company. The lawsuit asserts that JUUL violated the law when it designed and marketed its products to appeal to underage consumers and deceived consumers about the addictiveness of its product.

Read the full press release from the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.

Click here or on the image above to watch the live recording of the press conference.

The Washington State Department of Health's “Under the Influence of You” campaign aims to encourage influential adults (parents, guardians, caregivers, and others) to talk to the teens in their lives about the risks and consequences of using marijuana. It features ads and resources in multiple languages.

The toolkit now features expanded video ads, more situations where conversations may arise, and other elements to publish to your communities.

Use the passcode 'InfluentialAdults' to access the resources on the campaign website.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing proposed product standards to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and prohibit all characterizing flavors in cigars.

According to the FDA fact sheet, these actions have the potential to significantly reduce disease and death from combusted tobacco product use, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., by reducing youth experimentation and addiction, increasing the number of smokers that quit, and advancing health equity especially among Black Americans.

Read the full FDA news release here.

Founded by parents who have lost loved ones to the Fentanyl crisis, National Fentanyl Awareness Day is supported by a national coalition of experts, companies and partners who are coming together to amplify this critical issue.

A website is available with resources for anyone interested in promoting the event. You will find information about the event, facts about Fentanyl, and a partner toolkit that can be downloaded with sample messages, social media assets, infographics, and more.

Learn more at fentanylawarenessday.org.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), beginning July 16, 2022, "988" will be the new three-digit dialing or texting code connecting people to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where compassionate, accessible care and support is available for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress - including youth - whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also contact 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Visit SAMHSA's 988 information website for a communication toolkit, FAQ's, and more.

Christopher Belisle, Regional Prevention Project Coordinator, was interviewed by KOIN TV of Portland, OR to promote the "Secure Your Cannabis" campaign and remind people to protect children by locking up cannabis.

Watch the live interview recording here.

Deb Drandoff, Director of Prevention and Youth Services at ESD 112, was interviewed by Longview Daily News about Healthy Youth Survey results which conveyed a drop in rates of substance use but a steady level of depression reported by youth.

Read the full article here.

National Prevention Week (NPW) is a national public education platform bringing together communities and organizations to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.

Organizations, prevention groups, and community members can participate by hosting their own National Prevention Week event. SAMHSA provides everything from a planning checklist to videos and printable marketing materials in their NPW Planning Toolkit. Need resources about a specific topic? You can watch archived webinars on all daily health theme topics and more!

People can also participate in SAMHSA's planned NPW activities including new webinars, an NPW prevention challenge, sharing a prevention story (#MyPreventionStory), and more. Visit the NPW website to learn more: www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week.

Washington Department of Health (DOH) is inviting young people (ages 12—17) across Washington State to share opinions in an online discussion about important health issues and decisions they face today. Information learned from discussions is kept confidential and will be used to update and improve health communications programs for youth. Participants who fully participate may be compensated up to $150.00!

Parent/guardian permission is required to participate. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/washteens. Or call (559) 226-3100 and reference “WA Teens Talk.”

Deadline to participate is May 15, 2022.

The Centers for Disease Control produced a four page fact sheet, "Marijuana, What We Know", which provides a quick way to educate about common methods of consumption, medical use, short-term effects, impact on health and body systems, risks of use, and more.

This fact sheet and more resources about cannabis (marijuana) can be found on the CDC webpage dedicated to marijuana and public health.

The Public Health Law Center has released a 2022 update of their Policy Playbook for e-cigarettes. It provides policy and advocacy tools to help communities address and prevent the public health harms caused by the use of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products such as e-cigarettes.

In addition to including new information on e-cigarette policies and legislation, the playbook features four case studies of effective policies that state or local communities across the country recently adopted to regulate e-cigarettes. These case studies illustrate the ways in which communities can overcome obstacles and secure public support for their policies and the tactics they use in enforcing them.

This and many more resources for countering the tobacco epidemic are available on the PHLC website.

End the Syndemic: Community Coalitions Confronting Opioids as a Co-Occuring Disorder is a toolkit created to assist coalitions in specifically addressing complications of the syndemic effect of the epidemic of opioid use disorder and other behavioral health diagnoses that are identified as co-occuring disorders. Download and save the toolkit here.

The National Institute of Mental Health has adults covered with their flyer, "The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know". This informational flyer describes the key facts of teen brain development and what teens need for healthy brains. A great resource for parents, caregivers, medical professionals, and other adults.

In case you missed it, the webinar, "Vaping 101 - Key Concepts, Trends, and Evidence" is available on-demand. Presented by the Washington Poison Center it provides information about vaping devices, health concerns, youth vaping trends and risks. Ideal for prevention professionals, parents, educators, and community members. Hosted by Prevent Coalition of Southwest Washington.

Click here to access webinar recording.

access passcode: XY3X7%dQ

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides an educational flyer about fentanyl. It provides pertinent information about the drug, how to recognize the signs of an overdose, and what to do if you think someone is overdosing.

You can find the CDC flyer and more information about fentanyl on the CDC website.

Xylazine has been detected in a growing number of overdose deaths in many states. When Xylazine is used with illicitly made opioids it may increase the risk for overdose deaths.

Clark County WA Public Health Department created a one page informational flyer about this dangerous drug (click on image to view flyer).

Additional information about Xylazine can be found on the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website.

• There will be no sub-committee meetings in May other than the Steering Committee. This is because we have three sessions of the Cultural Competency for Rural Communities training, which takes a considerable amount of time from our volunteers. Stay tuned for June dates!
• You may have received a few Rural Network placeholder meeting invitations. We apologize for the duplication of these email invites, and for having the added email spam. Next year we will only send out invites on a month to month basis to avoid these extra emails.
• Please stay tuned for an announcement about the Rural Prevention Conference. You should receive an invite soon!
• We are looking for a youth prevention club or youth group who can present as a panel to the full conference on a prevention-related topic of your choice. We want to highlight young volunteers and amplify rural youth voices at this event by featuring a panel on the first day. Please contact christopher.belisle@esd112.org if you are interested or know a youth group to reach out to.

• Conference: We are negotiating a contract with the conference center and will send out invitations soon. The agenda is developed, and our next step is working to find speakers. If you are connected to a youth group who is interested in serving on a panel presentation to the full conference on the topic of your choosing, please contact Christopher! We can compensate for travel.
• Training: We're hosting a Cultural Competency for Rural Communities training in April and May. See the events section for more details. Visit the training hub: www.preventcoalition.org/culture.
• Recruitment: We are working on an electronic New Member Orientation that anyone can utilize at any time, so you do not have to wait for our quarterly orientation events. Please stay tuned and if you would like to support this projects let us know!
• Steering: We are adding two new members to our Steering Committee in order to reflect our growth as a network. We'll announce these members next meeting!
• Photo Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more photos.
• Story Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more stories.

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

Prevent Coalition Office Hours

Tuesday, May 10

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call.

For SW Washington Coalition Coordinators to receive technical assistance.

Locks Save Lives Home Stakeholder Committee Meeting

Wednesday, May 18

10:00 -11:30 a.m.

Online conference call.

For stakeholders of the campaign and opioid prevention partners.

Coalition Coordinators Meeting

Thursday, May 19

9:30-11 a.m.

Online conference call.

For Coalition Coordinators & staff in SW Washington.

SW Regional Network Meeting

Thursday, June 23

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call.

For coalition stakeholders and sector representatives throughout SW Washington.

Cultural Competency for Rural Communities Part 2

Tuesday May 10

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Click here to register for parts 2-4.

Cultural Competency for Rural Communities Part 3

Tuesday May 17

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Rural Steering Committee

Thursday, May 19

2-3 p.m.

Online conference call

Develop the plan, guide the implementation, evaluate the results.

Cultural Competency for Rural Communities Part 4

Tuesday May 24

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Rural Network Meeting

Tuesday, May 31

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Learn how to engage communities effectively, create a plan for action, and define key concepts of equity and cultural competency.

Rural Network Office Hours

Wednesday, June 1

1-2 p.m.

Online conference call

For Rural Network members to receive technical assistance

All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Click for full calendar of coalition and community events.

Relevant events not sponsored by Prevent Coalition:

Montana Summer Institute

Navigating Transformation: Increasing Health & Safety with Positive Community Norms

June 21-24

Led by Dr. Jeff Linkenbach, Dr. Jason Kilmer, and the Montana Institute Training Team, the Montana Summer Institute will include dynamic presentations on Positive Community Norms, the Science of the Positive, Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences, The Positive and Social Equity, and more. Attendees have the option of in-person or virtual attendance. Registration fee required.

Visit registration website.

Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA)

Annual Conference for Health 2022

Oct. 11 - 13, 2022

Wenatchee, WA

The theme for the 2022 conference is, "Identity, Diversity, Belonging - Facilitating an end to systemic injustices"

Visit registration website.

NW PTTC

Cannabis Pharmacology for Substance Misuse Prevention Practitioners

(Self-paced course)

NEW 3-part (4.5 hour) cannabis pharmacology series from the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Cannabis Prevention Working Group. Review updated, science-based information on cannabis to better-equip prevention professionals & coalitions to serve their communities.

Registration and training via the HealtheKnowledge.org website.

NW PTTC

Pharmacology for Prevention Professionals

(Self-paced course)

Explore the basics of how substances impact major brain regions and the acute and chronic symptoms associated with different substances. Certificates of 1.5 hours for each of the following four courses: Basics of Pharmacology and Alcohol, Basics of Pharmacology and Opioids, Basics of Pharmacology and Psychostimulants (Cocaine & Methamphetamine), and Basics of Pharmacology and Cannabis.

Learn more and enroll via the HealtheKnowledge.org website.

Do You Really Know the Community You Serve?

This workshop has break-out groups, class participation, and activities to challenge yourself to replace those old, preconceived thoughts and feelings, thereby creating new habits to serve your community more effectively. Valuable for coalition coordinators and community leaders. Lunch and refreshments provided!

Where: In-Person - ESD 112 Conference Center, 2500 NE 65th Ave, Vancouver, WA

When: Friday, June 10, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST

Registration: Click here to register

More Information: email Jesse Jimenez (jesse.jimenez@esd112.org)

Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes (PAVe) is hosting a unique, parent-powered and volunteer-led FREE event intended to provide both an overview and a deep dive into all aspects of this ongoing adolescent public health crisis, with an emphasis on practical solutions. Clear the Vapor convenes top researchers, public health advocates, educators, and state and national elected officials in exciting discussions, many moderated by PAVe parents struggling with these issues in real time.

Where: Virtual

When: May 24-25, 2022, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST

Registration: Click here to register.

More Information: https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/conference

The fifth annual CannAct Conference (formerly Public Health-Marijuana Summit) brings public health professionals, prevention specialists, equity advocates, public safety professionals, tobacco prevention professionals, partners, and other advocates together virtually to discuss the new and changing legalized cannabis landscape in our communities. The conference focus is policy, system and environmental change.

Where: Virtual

When: September 20-21, 2022

Registration Deadline: Earlybird registration ends September 1st.

More Information: https://www.ph-mjsummit.com

Supported by the fiscal agent ESD 112, Prevent is a regional coalition formed in 2003 to increase collaboration, awareness, and reduce youth substance use in Southwest Washington. Prevent also implements initiatives for rural communities across Washington state. As a community mobilizer, the coalition creates a culture promoting healthy choices; advocates for policies and regulations that protect, empowers and nurtures youth; and facilitates positive opportunities for youth to be involved and thrive.

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