The picture at left features the last words of a 22-year-old Nassau County college student sent to his heroin supplier moments before he was found dead in a bathtub by his mother. Our region's heroin crisis appears to be deepening by the day, but LICADD is tackling the challenges head-on. We're helping more young people and families than ever before, providing them with screenings, brief interventions, referrals to treatment and relapse prevention services. We've participated in more than two dozen school and community-based parent educational forums in the last three months. We've conducted dozens of school-based educational workshops for young people and we brought three overdose prevention workshops to health care professionals in Nassau/Suffolk. In December, we teamed up with Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to launch a multi-pronged anti-heroin effort in Suffolk and we are partnering with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and NCPD Commissioner Larry Mulvey to launch a public awareness campaign and evidence-based substance abuse prevention program in local schools. In January, we worked with NYS Senator Brian Foley on legislation that will help parents get their kids into detox and force insurance companies to provide coverage. It's been a busy few months, but we are in the midst of a crisis that is claiming far too many young lives. We're working on a variety of fronts to prevent substance abuse, support and serve those struggling with addiction and we're simultaneously pushing for systemic change that will guarantee treatment on demand. Be assured, we won't rest until our work is done.

With a grant from the Roslyn Savings Foundation, LICADD recently became certified to deliver Too Good For Drugs (TGFD), an evidence-based prevention program. TGFD is a school-based intervention for young people in kindergarten through 12th grade. The curriculum builds on students' resiliency by teaching them how to be socially competent and autonomous problem solvers. TGFD K-8 has a separate, developmentally appropriate curriculum for each grade level, focusing on The Search Institute's identified 40 developmental assets, which include emotional competency skills, social and resistance skills, goal setting and decision-making skills. TGFD for 9th to 12th grade is designed to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among students. Each curriculum builds on earlier grade levels, an instructional design which enables students to learn important skills sequentially and retain them year-after-year. We've piloted the program with 3rd graders at Friends Academy and expect to launch in Smithtown schools and other districts shortly.

Bestselling Author & Public Advocacy Consultant to Caron Treatment Centers, Christopher Kennedy Lawford will receive LICADD's 2010 Humanitarian Award at our 23rd Annual Angel Ball to be held on May 4, 2010 at the Garden City Hotel. Scott Clark serves as the Master of Ceremonies and the Marvin Floyd Orchestra provides the music. Tickets are just $500 and sponsorships start at $1,500.

 

30th Annual R. Brinkley Smithers Invitational Gold Outing 

The Creek &

Piping Rock

 

21st Annual Peter Sweisgood Breakfast

Melville Marriott