60 Minutes on Drinking Age Debate

For Your Information - 60 Minutes will have a segment on the debate over the drinking age this Sunday evening. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Do you know what your kids are doing?

This video was put together by the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition in WV.

OxyContin Lawsuit Funds Used to Shed Light on Business Compliance to Underage Drinking Laws

Youth Services Systems Inc. (YSS) is the acting fiscal agent for $8,000 in funding from the Purdue Pharma Asset Forfeiture funds awarded to the Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (OCSAPC). These funds come from a federal OxyContin lawsuit, under the WV Division of Criminal Justice Services (WVDCJS). According to Governor Joe Manchin, these funds will be utilized for efforts towards a Drug Free West Virginia. The governor states that “participation in this project is a positive step toward achieving that goal.”

Locally, the grant is to be used in compliance checks, which monitor local alcohol retailers to ensure they are checking IDs and are not selling alcohol to those under 21. Wheeling PD has already been facilitating compliance checks at least once a month under the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) grant. However, this new grant award will allow the Police Department to collaborate with the Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (OCSAPC), funded by a Federal SPF-SIG Grant, thereby doubling the number of compliance checks per month on a consistent basis in Ohio County.

John Moses, Executive Director of Youth Services Systems, stated “Youth Services System's success in reaching youth in meaningful ways has been with the support and collaboration of many organizations and interested citizens. When government, social services agencies, educators and businesses join in partnership very good things happen for youth in our communities. Law enforcement and the juvenile justice system have been long time partners with YSS and we look forward to yet another successful venture.”

The main players in compliance checks will be the Wheeling Police Department with Sgt. Duwane Taylor as EUDL Coordinator, OCSAPC, and interested youth. A small portion of the funds are also earmarked for Youth in Action activities like the recent “Sticker Shock” events in which We Are The Future youth placed approximately 4,000 stickers on alcohol products in 5 area businesses so far.

The Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition will monitor compliance rates each month with the aim of increasing the rate of compliance to the state drinking laws by area businesses. As a result, we hope to publish the names of businesses that are in compliance with the laws as a way to positively reinforce thoughtful and caring businesses that are willing to make public safety a priority. We want to promote any positive proactive steps being taken in our community. On the flip side, citations are given when the businesses are not in compliance and the clerks who do sell to minors will be personally responsible for any citations and fines given as the law requires.

Second Shock a Success!

The Youth in Action team's "Sticker Shock" event was a success! The team hit Neely's and Convenient in East Wheeling. The business locations were extremely helpful, friendly and cooperative. Patrons of the stores were also very polite and supportive. The youth provided merchant education regarding the laws about selling alcohol to minors. They also placed stickers on alcohol products with the same reminder to purchasers of alcohol for minors.

Thanks so much for all your help We Are The Future, law enforcement, and OCSAPC!

East Wheeling to be “Sticker Shocked” by Kids and Cops

Our Youth in Action team is taking part in the second in a series of "Sticker Shock" campaigns designed to educate merchants and raise community awareness about underage drinking laws. Many clerks do not understand that they are held responsible for their actions if they choose to sell to minors. We Are The Future youth group, Wheeling PD, Ohio County Sheriff''s and OCSAPC adult volunteers join forces with an aim to lower youth access to alcohol and thereby reduce underage consumption.

It is found that teens have access to alcohol through "social access" that is from friends or family and through "retail access" usually having adults purchase the product for them or by purchasing it themselves using fake ID cards or by not being "carded" properly. This action addresses retail access by having youth placing stickers on alcohol products in Convenient and Neely's in East Wheeling. They will educate clerks using performance techniques and they hope to raise community awareness of this issue. The merchants benefit by allowing the public to see that they do make thoughtful business decisions and they do support proper sales procedures to minors.

We recently surveyed 37 recovering addicts/ alcoholics and 30 said alcohol was the first drug they tried. It is indeed a gateway drug. The group hopes their efforts will begin to reduce substance use and abuse in their community.

The action is scheduled for December 10, 2008 at 4:30PM. They participants will meet at Lincoln and proceed to East Wheeling. All media is welcome to join them!

Substance Abuse Prevention Funding Continues

CHARLESTON, W.VA.— Funding to County Prevention Partnerships across West Virginia continues for local substance abuse prevention efforts. Governor Joe Manchin recently announced the federally-funded prevention grant awards, which total more than $1.8 million dollars, to the following 17 counties: Barbour, Cabell, Calhoun, Doddridge, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mercer, Mingo, Morgan, Ohio, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Randolph, and Wood.

Locally the recipient is Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition with Youth Services Systems, Inc. as the fiscal agent providing administrative support. The grant amount of $120,850 covers funding from Oct.01, 2008-Sept. 29, 2009. The coalition efforts include grassroots prevention initiatives such as media campaigns to raise community awareness of substance abuse related issues, parenting programs, retailer education and stings to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors, school-based curriculum such as the Too Good For Drugs Program, and community-based programs such as a Youth Forum or Town Hall Meeting.

“County Prevention Partnerships are the front line of West Virginia’s Substance Abuse Prevention System,” said Mike Lacy, Chair of The WV Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being (WV Partnership). “They are vital to tackling our state’s substance abuse problem, which costs more than $470 million a year.” The WV Partnership is the state’s Governor-appointed substance abuse prevention and intervention planning body. It advised the Governor regarding these grants.

The source of the grants is a federal Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) awarded to West Virginia in 2004. The five-year, more than 11 million dollar federal grant is intended to build prevention capacity and infrastructure at the state and local levels; prevent the onset and reduce the progress of substance abuse including childhood and underage drinking; and reduce substance abuse and substance abuse-related problems in communities.

The SPF SIG is administered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. West Virginia’s Office of the Governor is the official recipient of the SPF SIG. The Governor has chosen the West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services to fiscally administer the SPF SIG sub-grants to counties. The Governor has also contracted with the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center (WVPRC) to coordinate the implementation of the SPF SIG in the form of planning, grant administration, training, technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation.

Additional information about WV’s SPF SIG, WV’s Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being, Regional Learning Opportunities, and the WVPRC is available at www.PrevNET.org or by contacting grant director Kristen Kroflich at kkroflich@ysswv.com or prevention educator Martha Polinsky at mpolinsky@ysswv.com.

Parents Needed & Your Teens Are Asking For You!

Really!! How often do your kids ask for your help?

In July our coalition, with much community support, brought a Youth Forum on underage drinking to the area. In attendance were youth from several area schools, churches, shelters, and community groups. We had 6 discussion topics and we tabulated the responses. We also gave each of the 32 attendees an evaluation form.

The following statements were given with a yes/no option:
“I feel like my opinions were heard at this forum.” 29 Yes
“I feel like youth can make a difference in preventing underage drinking in the local area.” 28 Yes
“I feel like the adults here today want to help youth lead efforts to prevent underage drinking.” 28 Yes
(Remember this is out of 32 youth in attendance)

They were also asked to “list types of people in the community needed most to help youth make a difference with underage drinking.” The top answers were:
Teachers/Schools – 17
Sports/coaches -12
Parents -11
Police -10

Parents are in the top 3 as to who youth think can help them. Don’t let them down! Help us give them the chance to lead social change. Our coalition has only one parent member not associated with any other organization. The only area we have less active interest or participation is from elected officials. We’re going to have to do reduce Underage Drinking as a community and we need parents to give our youth a chance.

We hope you join us on Oct. 22 at 12:30PM for our next meeting. We look forward to meeting you and gaining insight from your knowledge, talents, and experience in the most important job you’ll ever have…..a parent!

FASD Workshop and Outreach a Sucess!

Pictured with infant demo dolls are Lynne Stanley, Kristen Kroflich, Deb Allen and Shelly Behm. They attended the Healthy Babies/Health Future Workshop and FASD Community Outreach. The workshop, which over 60 people attended, focused on Shaken Baby Syndrome, bonding and attachment and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD.) After the workshop from 3PM -5PM approximately 60 on-premise alcohol establishments recieved a visit from a volunteer. The volunteers spoke with business owners, managers, and workers giving them information, statistics and the supplemental FASD warning sign shown in the previous blog entry. What a great way to comemorate Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders National Awareness Day!

FASD Prevented by 9 Months Alcohol Free

The above poster was conceived of by We Are The Future youth; it is to be distributed to local on-premise alcohol establishments. It is a supplemental sign that can hang with the old mandated sign. It contains updated information and is more visually appealing.

On September 9 is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) National Awareness Day, recognizing the need for 9 month of a sober, healthy pregnancy. Our coalition in collaboration with the Ohio County Partners in Prevention will be hosting a Healthy Babies - Healthy Future: Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and other issues that are easily preventable by education. The workshop is from 8AM to 3PM at the Vineyard Church 135 Waddles Run Rd., Wheeling.

The workshop will end with a bang as attendees who have volunteered will take part in a grassroots community outreach effort. The volunteers will visit on-premise alcohol establishments for about 10 minutes. They will read information to clerks and managers advising them about FASD and how they can help. Supplemental FASD warning flyers and posters (as shown above) will be given to businesses for use in their establishments.

FASD is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the western world and it's 100% preventable by abstaining from consumption alcohol during pregnancy. The U.S. Surgeon General has advised that it is never safe to consume alcohol during pregnancy. The updated signs show that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has changed to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. It has been found that a whole spectrum of disorders can occur, and many go undiagnosed as FASD because it is often unknown whether the mother of the child affected drank alcohol during her 9 month pregnancy.

This is a first of its kind, proactive and positive effort in Ohio County. Please invest in this effort and your community. You don't have to attend the workshop if you want to volunteer for this effort.

Workshop Agenda is as follows:
8:0-8:45 Registration & Welcome
8:45-10:15 Shaken Baby Syndrome
10:30-12:00 Bonding & Attachment
12:30-1:45 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
2:45-3:00 Community Outreach Directions & Evaluation
3:oo-5:00 Volunteer Outreach

You may have also noticed the FASD billboards all around Wheeling; these, as well as, a grass roots appeal by mail to local city officials rounds out the month. We hope to educate and influence businesses and our community to be aware and do all they can to educate others. If you would like to volunteer to help educate businesses and your community, please contact the OCSAPC by way of Kristen Kroflich at (304) 233-2045 ext 305 or kkfroflitch@ysswv.com.

Kids and Cops Rock with "Sticker Shock"

WHAT: Youth in Action (YIA) is a team of Ohio County youth, local police officers, and adult volunteers; this collaboration will take part in a community action called “Sticker Shock” which promotes the prevention of underage drinking. This team will canvas area businesses asking them to allow the team to place stickers on all alcohol products. The stickers, designed by local youth, will provide a reminder about the laws regarding persons over 21 purchasing alcohol for minors.

WHEN: August 18, 2008 at 1:00PM

WHERE: Woodsdale/Pleasanton Area Businesses who choose to participate.

WHO: Local youth from We Are The Future youth group, the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department and the Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition have joined forces to bring about social change. As of now, the youth will be going to CVS, Kroger, and Gumby’s. Let’s give these businesses a big hand for stepping up and showing the community that they do not support underage drinking and that they have made thoughtful business decisions and sales procedures.

WHY: This action will allow area business owners the opportunity to showcase that they really do take underage drinking laws seriously and care for the well being of our community. The involved youth will be empowered to know that their voice is heard and they can influence adults in the community and make a difference.

HOW: The volunteer youth, law enforcement and other adults will meet at 1:00PM and the kids will ride in cruisers to businesses that have chosen to participate