October Coalition News

Prevent Coalition Events, Resources, Opportunities and more.

Drive-Thru Drug Take Back Events Saturday October 24th

On Saturday October 24, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., take unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter medication for safe FREE disposal at four “Drive-Thru” Drug Take-Back Events in Southwest Washington. For everyone’s safety, participants will remain in vehicles and use a drive-thru process to dispose of unwanted and expired medications as well as vaping devices and e-cigarettes without batteries. All event sites will follow appropriate COVID-19 safety guidelines for social distancing, face coverings, sanitizing and disinfecting.

Drug Take Back Event locations:

*NEW SITE* Kaiser Permanente Orchards 7101 NE 137th Ave., Vancouver
PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care, 33rd & Main (South Back Lot), Vancouver
Battle Ground Police Department, 507 SW 1st St., Battle Ground
Washougal Silver Star Search & Rescue, 1220 A St., Washougal

Prescription and over-the counter medication

Prescription and over-the-counter medication including pills, liquids and inhalers will be accepted for disposal. Medications may remain in original containers and labels do not need to be removed. Medications not in original containers will also be accepted.

Vaping devices and e-cigarettes without batteries

Vaping devices and e-cigarettes without batteries will be accepted for free safe disposal at all four event sites. If batteries aren’t removable, check with electronic chain stores to ask if they accept these devices for proper disposal or contact your local Hazardous Material Transfer Stations to ask if they accept these devices and for additional guidance on proper disposal.

Sharps and syringes

Please note that sharps and syringes will ONLY be accepted for disposal at the PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care event site located at 33rd & Main (South Back Lot) in downtown Vancouver.

FREE Year-Round Medication Disposal locations

Did you know any day can be a drug take back day? Protect loved ones and keep medicine out of the wrong hands by properly disposing prescription medications at a drug take back event or at a year-round medication disposal location near you. To find free year-round medication disposal locations anywhere in Washington state go to TakeBackYourMeds.com or for more information about free year-round medication disposal locations in Clark and Skamania counties visit: www.preventcoalition.org/resources or call Clark County Public Health at (564) 397-7352.

Medicine take back events in Southwest Washington are funded in partnership with Washington State Health Care Authority through a State Opioid Response Grant. For more information, visit bit.ly/DrugTakeBack2020 or email Kelley Groen-Sieckmann at kelley.groen@esd112.org.

It's Survey Season!

Coalitions use surveys to gather feedback from community members and understand their opinions/beliefs around substance use. This info helps providers understand what's happening in their area so as to create effective strategies to address community concerns.

Please help by taking less than 15 minutes to complete the online survey, available in both English and Spanish.

Our Klickitat

Our Klickitat - English

Our Klickitat - Spanish

West Van for Youth

Zip codes: 98660, 98661, 98663, 98665

West Van for Youth - English

West Van for Youth - Spanish

Central Vancouver Coalition

Zip codes: 98661, 98662, 98664

Central Vancouver - English

Central Vancouver - Spanish

Job Openings at ESD 112

There are a number of job openings for prevention staff in the Southwest Washington region. Click the links below to learn more about a few, and apply to work with ESD 112.

Teen Leaders Lobby Washington Lawmakers to Toughen Tobacco Laws

Teen leaders lobby Wash. lawmakers to toughen tobacco laws

SEATTLE - A new study sheds an alarming light on the access young people have to tobacco. The data also pulls back the curtain on a skyrocketing number of teens using tobacco products - more than 5. 3 million nationwide. And in Washington state, 21% of all high schoolers use e-cigarettes, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “We know that it's a deadly habit,” said Clark County high school senior Jaelyn Sotelo. She is also an ambassador for the tobacco-free campaign.

komonews.com

Big drop reported in vaping by U.S. teenagers

Vaping by U.S. teenagers fell dramatically this year, especially among middle schoolers, according to a federal report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts think last year’s outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths may have scared off some kids, but they believe other factors contributed to the drop, including higher age limits and flavor bans.

In a national survey, just under 20 percent of high school students and 5 percent of middle school students said they were recent users of electronic cigarettes and other vaping products. That marks a big decline from a similar survey last year that found about 28 percent of high school students and 11 percent of middle school students recently vaped.

Click here to continue reading.

SAMHSA’s 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report Data Findings

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The annual survey is the nation’s primary resource for data on mental health and substance use among Americans.

As the NSDUH demonstrates, substance misuse and mental illness continue to be major problems for Americans. These issues demand continued attention and focus across all American communities. The data also reflect impressive progress on the nation’s opioid crisis.

View the Report

View a video presentation of the NSDUH data findings by Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD.

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Cannabis Conversations for Parents, Providers, Teen Peers

Prevent developed the series of Cannabis Conversation Toolkits to help people have healthy, connecting, and data-driven conversations about cannabis use with youth. Take a moment to review the toolkit before initiating conversations with kids about: why people use marijuana, the impact of marijuana on the developing brain, potential consequences of use, and more.

Toolkits are tailored by age group:

Cannabis 101: For adults.
Cannabis Conversations: For adults with youth ages 8-12.
Cannabis Conversations: For adults with youth ages 13-17.
Cannabis Conversations: For adults with youth ages 18-21.
Friend2Friend: Youth who want to have Cannabis Conversations with peers.

Learn more and access the toolkit by visiting the Youth Now website.

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Meet Your Steering Committee

Sarah Meyers

Sarah Meyers works at the Prevention Program at Quality Behavioral Health (Clarkston EPIC Coalition and Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families). Representing the prevention sector, Sarah joins us from the Southeast corner of Washington.

"I joined the Rural Network Steering Committee to represent rural communities! I was born and raised in Garfield County, the least populated county in Washington State. The entire population of Garfield County is no more than 2,400 people. There is only 1 town in the county, 1 zip code, and no fast food or traffic lights. I currently run the CPWI coalition here in Pomeroy, so I would consider myself well-versed in rural prevention."

Sarah has been involved in prevention for 6 years and loves her work. "Some of my favorite topics are ACEs and resilience, and how prevention is for the long run."

A fun fact? Sarah goes to Disneyland 2-3 times per year and has an annual pass! She also has a travel blog for helping others plan their trips. "I am very sad that Disneyland has been closed for 6 months due to the pandemic and can’t wait to get back when it is safe."

Thank you for your amazing contributions Sarah!

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Tammy Maine

Tammy Maine works at the Northeast Tri- County Health District as the Youth Marijuana Prevention Education Program Health Educator. Representing the Prevention sector, Tammy joins us from Northeastern Washington serving Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens Counties.

'"I joined the Rural Network to network, collaborate, and learn from other rural areas. I am passionate about youth drug prevention. I wholeheartedly agree with Benjamin Franklin’s axiom that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."'

Thank you for your amazing contributions Tammy!

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Isaac Wulff

Isaac Wulff works at the Washington Health Care Authority as a Prevention System Manager. Representing the government sector, Isaac joins us from the North Puget Sound and Olympic regions while also representing the statewide prevention system.

"I have lived and worked in rural communities my entire life and have a lot of empathy for what kids and families in small towns experience. There are incredible strengths in rural society, but those often get overshadowed by the needs. I want to help flip that narrative and show small towns they have what they need to get ahead of troubles before they start."

A fun fact? Isaac is also an actor and director of live theater, a carpenter and homebuilder with over 500 homes built in a previous career, and a certified high school Earth Science teacher and student support specialist. "My main passion issue in prevention is educational attainment. In all my time helping kids and adults, every successful story of personal transformation included reaching a big educational goal."

In the photo is Isaac's granddaughter Sable when they went to the Selfie Museum in Seattle earlier this year. Thank you for your amazing contributions Isaac!

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Trillium Swanson

Trillium Swanson works for the Coalition for Orcas Youth as Project Manager. Representing the youth-serving organization sector, Trillium joins us from Orcas Islands, WA.

"My fabulous mentor in prevention Cynthia Stark-Wickman recommended I get involved after attending the first Rural Network meeting. I am passionate about learning from others how to better serve my community, so being a part of the Rural Prevention Network has been a great opportunity for me."

Thank you for your amazing contributions Trillium!

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Tony May

Tony May is the Rural Education Program Supervisor at the WA State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Representing the education sector, Tony joins us from Seattle and serves rural school districts across Washington.

"I joined the Rural Network to support rural school districts in the important prevention work for their students. I largely grew up and went to High School in the beautiful Okanogan County (specifically Okanogan and Twisp)."

Thank you for your amazing contributions Tony!

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Next Rural Network Meeting

We meet the last Tuesday of every month from 2-3:30 p.m.

Rural Network Meeting

Tuesday October 27

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Email preventcoalition@esd112.org for invite. Link and password emailed the day prior.

Click here to access September meeting minutes.

Questions?

Email preventcoalition@esd112.org or learn more and to subscribe for meeting reminders.

Latest Grant Updates

Full updates will be provided during meetings and in minutes. Highlights include:

Website: Visit our pages for a calendar of events, our Needs Assessment results, the Executive Summary, our Annual Report and a one-pager Annual Outcomes graphic.
Sector Representatives: We have 80 participants who have opted-in to our programs and always welcome new members! If you're interested in connecting prior to your first meeting, attend one of our Office Hour meetings.
Assessment: Epidemiologists are implementing Assessment Part 2, Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) data analysis. By January, we should have a report of rural HYS data.
Toolkit: We've began brainstorming ideas for an online rural prevention and education toolkit. Visit our meeting minutes to see the full list of ideas. Lookout for sub-committee/affinity groups coming your way to advance this project.
Sub-Contract: The Epidemiology team has been granted access to statewide rural Healthy Youth Survey data and will develop a Needs Assessment Report Part 2.
Relevant Links: