Great Work, Members of the Southern Kennebec Substance Abuse Work Group (SAWG)!!

Many Southern Kennebec SAWG coalition organizations and members are taking action every day to prevent substance use.  Here are just a few actions of note:

• Kennebec Sheriff's Office (KSO) collected 5200 prescription pills during the first week of their new, ongoing program to collect and dispose of unwanted and expired prescription drugs.  This service began in early February.
• MaineGeneral Preventon Center Overdose Prevention Manager Jayne Harper and KSO Sheriff Randall Liberty were interviewed on the TimeWarner television program Maine Street about the problem of prescription drug misuse and the importance of proper disposal of medications, to protect the environment, and health and welfare of Maine citizens.  This program has been aired several times this month on Cable Channel 9.  The interview was brokered by SAWG member Dick Dyer of Dyer Associates in Winthrop.
• Gardiner High School, Hall-Dale High School and Monmouth Academy are continuing their collaboration on the implementation of the Student Intervention and Reintegration Program (SIRP), a 12 hour class for youth who want to learn how to make healthier choices around the use of alcohol and other drugs.  Special commendation goes to Monmouth Academy and Principal Scott Bell, who is exploring ways to engage youth in the program before they are caught violating school policy and must then be sanctioned.
  
• Winthrop High and Middle Schools and Maranacook Community High and Middle Schools have implemented an e-mail and text messaging service called TipLine; creating new opportunities for youth and parents to send confidential messages and share concerns with school administrators.
• Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and the SAWG staffed and hosted a 4 hour training for coalition members on core concepts of coalition building and taking action.  Fifty-Two (52) people from  across the state attended the January 29th event.  The Maine National Guard Drug Demand Reduction Task Force and the Guard's Meeting Services staff at the Augusta Armory provided the group with space for the event.

NEW Prevention Projects For the Southern Kennebec Substance Abuse Work Group (SAWG)

As the Drug Free Communities funded SAWG moves into high gear this winter, staff and volunteers are working on two new prevention projects:

1)  The Parent "Table Talk" Meetings:  These small group meetings are being offered to parents who want to learn more about the issue of underage drinking, and what they can do to help their teen make healthy choices.  A prime target audience is parents of middle school youth.  The format involves:

a) individual parents or couples hosting a meeting in their own home or an alternate informal setting

b) inviting 8-12 friends to the meeting

c) discussion with a specially trained health educator about  the risks and choices young teens face concerning substance use and how parents can help their kids make healthy choices.

This model has been tested in the Portland area, Freeport and Waterville and has received very positive reviews.  Parents report they like meeting in a comfortable setting with people they know, and having the opportunity to discuss an issue of special concern.  If you are interested in hosting a Table Top meeting in your home or area, see the contact information at the end of this article.

2)  Prescription Drug Take Back Day:  Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) has scheduled its annual hazardous waste take-back day in Augusta on Saturday May 15^th, This event allows residents to dispose of a wide range of hazardous materials-including but not limited to expired or unwanted medications.  Materials will be accepted 9 AM to Noon.

This year, we are working to establish several satellite locations, outside of Augusta, so that people can drop off prescription drugs only.  The creation of satellite locations would:

-save people who live outside the city a trip into Augusta,

-increase the amount of prescription drugs collected, and

-provide the opportunity for broader promotion of the risks of prescription drug misuse and how to prevent it.

Several communities have expressed interest in the idea, and we are now working on finalizing the exact locations. 

For more information about either of the events,or to host a Tabel Talk Parent Meeting, contact Kathy Thoreson at Healthy Futures, Inc. (377-5377; kthoreson@fairpoint.net) or Neill Miner (557-2947; nminer@mcd.org)

Youth across southern Kennebec County are finding ways to speak out on substance abuse issues of concern to them.  Congratulations and Thank You! to them, and to the organizations that sponsor and support their efforts.

Gardiner Regional Middle School Youth Voices (GRMS YV) advocacy group celebrated Red Ribbon Week with school wide activities involving all students. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country that serves as a vehicle for communities and individuals to take a stand for the hopes and dreams of children through a commitment to drug prevention and education and a personal commitment to live drug free lives with the ultimate goal being the creation of drug free America. GRMS YV students created posters and visited classrooms in small groups of to talk to other students about the importance of remaining drug free.

The Student Advisory Group to the Maranacook Student Health Center is going to Washington!  The group of 10 students and 3 adult advisers is scheduled to meet in mid March with Maine's Congressional delegation.  One of the students' top agendas is the importance and impact of student health centers student health and well-being--and finding ways to preserve and strengthen this important service.  Student representatives from this group have also spoken out on Maine policy issues.  Student representatives have participated in the emerging campaign to increase the tax on cigarettes, and preserve funding in the Maine Fund for a Healthy Maine.

Winthrop High School Youth Voices students are partnering with students from Maranacook Community High School and Dyer Associates, a media and public relations firm in Winthrop.  They are doing an in-depth analysis of student leaders' opinions about substance use.  The project is based on the premise that a relatively small number of people in any group (opinion leaders) have a powerful impact of the attitudes of the whole group.  The conclusions and recommendations of the students working on this project are expected to be out soon.