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Letter to the editor: Don’t give lottery tickets to youths

Seen in: The Post Star

 

Editor:

I currently work for the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County as the youth outreach coordinator partnering with the New York Council on Problem Gambling on the You(th) Decide Project. I am writing to express my concern regarding lottery tickets given out to youth by family members and friends during the graduation season.

Why adults should not offer lottery tickets to youth as gifts: Only individuals of legal age are allowed to buy these products. The law restricts minors’ access to lotteries because of the concern that it may act as a gateway to other forms of gambling. Did you know that adolescents and adults with gambling problems report that they were first introduced to gambling through lottery tickets? These tickets were often bought by family members. During this graduation season, discourage friends and family members giving tickets to underage children. Make them aware that it is not an appropriate activity or present for your child.

Youth Gambling in New York state according to NYCPG:

48 percent of 7-12th graders reported they had gambled in the past year.
10 percent of adolescents in NYS (about 140,000) have had problems due to their gambling.
An additional 10 percent are at risk for problem gambling.
In 2010, state-sponsored gambling generated approximately $3.2 billion in revenues for NYS.
Remember: There is not just one person, nor one group of people, who are affected by underage gambling. There is not just one factor in someone’s life that alone leads to underage gambling. There is also not just one strategy that will alone prevent underage gambling.

If you, your group/organization, or child, would like to get more involved in YOU(th) Decide in your community, please contact me at ccfw-youth@preventioncouncil.org.

Kara James, Saratoga Springs

Great way to get dirty: Hundreds attend Tuff eNuff Challenge

Featured in: The Saratogian
Story by: Paul Post

Link to full article: http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20170603/great-way-to-get-dirty-hundreds-attend-tuff-enuff-challenge

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Compared to what’s coming, a 5K obstacle course was a cakewalk for 18-year-old Silas Dionne of Corinth.

PHOTOS: 2017 TUFF ENUFF CHALLENGE

On June 12, he’ll be headed to U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., where grueling drills start early and last throughout the day.

Dionne and his brother, Elijah, and sister and brother-in-law, Harmony and Brandon Wagner, were among the 600 people who slogged through mud, climbed hills and navigated water-filled ditches on Saturday in the Tuff eNuff Challenge, a Prevention Council fundraising event.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Harmony Wagner said.

“I’m not worried about him, he’ll do fine down there,” her husband said.

“I think he’s ready for it (the Marines),” Elijah Dionne said.

Tuff eNuff is character building, too, and fits in with the Prevention Council’s mission of “Helping Youth Navigate Life’s Challenges” by avoiding drugs and alcohol.

 

The day’s activities started with a 1K kids run, followed by the 5K for adults, which went off in three separate waves of runners.

The emphasis isn’t on winning, although 19-year-old Chase Collins of Saratoga Springs was the first to cross the finish line, among first-wave entrants, in a time of 22:59.

His prize?

“A mud pie,” Collins said grinning.

Tom Portuese, of Queensbury, finished close on his heels. His three sons — Tim, Andy and Marcus — completed the 1K course.

“It’s a great way to get dirty and get some exercise with the kids,” Portuese said. “The mud just keeps coming — waves and waves of it.”

The course, at the F. Donald Myers Education Center on Henning Road, was prepared by BOCES heavy equipment operator students. BOCES kids also helped out with security and parking, and culinary students offered refreshments.

The race, in its sixth year, is sponsored by AYCO, whose TeamWorks Program volunteers helped mark the course.

“We couldn’t do this without the help of our community volunteers, many of whom return year after year because this event is so special,” said Erin Smith, volunteer coordinator.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Louis Falcon, a Spa City resident, took a day off from duties at Fort Drum, where he’s stationed, to compete in Tuff eNuff. Like a true warrior, he came dressed in a gold plastic Spartan’s helmet, accompanied by his 5-year-old son, Maddox, who did the kids run.

“It’s intense, it’s fun and you get a good workout,” Falcon said. “And no one’s yelling at you. I could do 15 miles of this. I’m going to tell my soldiers to come next year.

Opioid Epidemic Forum Looks to Prevent Addiction

Story by: By Michael Howard
Link to video coverage: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2017/05/10/opioid-epidemic-forum-looks-to-prevent-addiction.html

An informational forum in South Glens Falls was aimed at educating families on opioid addiction, in hopes of saving lives. The forum was hosted by the Community Coalition for Family Wellness, a non-profit organization started in 2010 that aims to help anyone affected by addiction or violence. Officials say the need for their group has increased over the years, likely due to the accessibility of drugs at a younger age.

 

County Leaders Unite to Fight Drug Addiction

April 13, 2017
Story by: Larry Goodwin
Seen in: Saratoga Today
Link to article: https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/home/item/6395-county-leaders-united-to-fight-drug-addiction

 

WILTON — With his laptop in hand on a recent Thursday evening, James Norton politely informed the Wilton Town Board about his group’s coordinated efforts to tackle opioid addiction in local communities.

“If you have any questions as to how we, as a government, can help your organization, let us know,” responded Wilton Supervisor Arthur Johnson. “It really is a big problem in this area.”

Norton, a coordinator for The Prevention Council in Saratoga Springs, shared his findings with the board on April 6. He said drug addiction is not caused solely by heroin and fentanyl sold illegally in the streets.

He talked about the hundreds of pounds of prescription pills—most containing synthetic opiates—that people have thrown out during drug take-back events.

Norton said more than half of “misused medications” are emanating from cabinets inside the homes of friends or families, which often leads to more serious problems.

“Four out of five individuals in treatment for heroin misuse started with a prescription opioid,” Norton says in a written compilation of his research.

“There has been a 222 percent increase in treatment rates in upstate New York and a 136 percent increase statewide,” Norton added.

He also described the measurable impacts on both drugged and drunk driving.

“The younger generations tend to drive under the influence of drugs more than they do alcohol,” Norton said.

Norton went on to promote the next prescription drug take-back event scheduled for April 29, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., at eight locations from Clifton Park to Moreau.

The Prevention Council supports a variety of programs that are aimed at young people and funded mostly through state and federal grants. The group “is always looking for new members” to help out, Norton told the board in Wilton.

The council’s motto is “Helping Youth Navigate Life’s Challenges.” It is part of a coalition of groups and law-enforcement agencies organizing the pill take-back events, including another on August 26, with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

On May 10 at the South Glens Falls High School, the group Community Coalition for Family Wellness is organizing more informative presentations on the subject of “Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic.” That event starts at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got to get the drugs out of the medicine cabinets,” insisted Janine Stuchin, executive director of The Prevention Council, in a subsequent interview arranged by Norton.

Stuchin admitted her surprise three years ago when a family member was prescribed two bottles of painkillers for the removal of a wisdom tooth. Many of those pills went unused and were later discarded, she said.

According to Stuchin, there was a time when opioids were prescribed by doctors only for intensive medical care at the end of life. But by the late 1990s, she said, economic markets motivated doctors to rely more heavily on pills for all sorts of “palliative” relief among their patients.

That, in turn, fueled much higher abuse rates for opioids, which are classified in federal law among the most addictive of all drugs.

Stuchin thinks that medical professionals should prioritize finding solutions for such problems right alongside cancer research. But the public stigma of opioid addiction prevents the emergence of more compassionate strategies, she added.

“People relapse with addiction,” Stuchin said, “and they need community support.”

The Prevention Council, in conjunction with Project Safe Point, offers training classes and free kits every month to parents, teachers, nurses and many others to administer the nasal spray Naloxone (or Narcan), which can prevent opioid overdoses.

According to Mike McEvoy, a coordinator for Saratoga County Emergency Medical Services, there was a substantial increase last year in overdose calls to 911— an average of roughly 30 per week—but they appear to be decreasing in frequency.

“There are occasional spikes but the steady increase we had been seeing prior to and during 2016 seems to have leveled off,” McEvoy said in an email.

Saratoga County Commissioner of Mental Health, Dr. Michael Prezioso, said equally important addiction services are provided to individuals by emergency departments, drug courts, counselors and treatment centers.

He said establishing short-term detox facilities also should be considered by local officials as a means to address drug addiction.

“It’s not just the arrests” that make a difference, Prezioso said.

On April 10, both Prezioso and Saratoga County Director of Public Health, Catherine Duncan, were scheduled to give reports to the county’s Public Health Committee.

At that meeting, Duncan was pressed on efforts being made in the county to counteract drug addiction.

She explained that her department, among other measures, is working with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to reduce drug problems during seasonal concerts.

Clifton Park Supervisor Philip Barrett ended the discussion by emphasizing how the Saratoga County Sheriff ’s Office routinely posts related updates on its Facebook page.

A major difficulty, according to Barrett, is that certain opioids are “easy to get” and “cheap” in the streets. He said those basic facts affect “every single community in the country.”

Saratoga County High School Students Have Fun Tackling Serious Issues

Story By: Lou Roberts
Featured on: 101.3 The Jockey

Link to full article: http://1013thejockey.com/saratoga-county-high-school-students-have-fun-tackling-serious-issues-photos/

Several students from high schools in Saratoga County joined forces at Skidmore College yesterday (March 16) at the 35th annual Safe Spring Leadership Conference. Safe Spring is held by The Prevention Council. The conference featured various seminars and workshops that gave the students skills to use for their local groups for issues like drinking and driving, bullying, suicide prevention, tobacco marketing towards young people, media literacy, e-cigarettes and several other.

Thanks to Heather LaSalvia, I was asked to help judge a public service announcement (p.s.a.) competition in the workshop where the participating students wrote copy for a p.s.a. to make kids aware of how the tobacco industry targets them. The student with the winning p.s.a’s. will come into the 1-0-1-3 The Jockey studios and record it. After the p.s.a. is produced, we’ll be putting it on the air.

When we all gathered for lunch, everyone was treated to music from d.j. Andy Pratt. That’s when the students got a chance to cut loose and dance. I took some pictures many of the groups from the schools that were participating

Partnership with Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office

February 9, 2017

The Sheriff’s Office is happy to announce that it has received a Ver-Mac® PCMS-320 trailer mounted portable changeable message sign that will be used to combat “drugged driving.” The sign was purchased under the Partnership for Success grant through the Community Coalition for Family Wellness (CCFW). The Prevention Council is the fiscal agent for the CCFW.

The device will see extensive use at sobriety checkpoints and to provide messaging for these events and other DWI/DWAI enforcement details. The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the CCFW and the Prevention Council for their continued partnership in ensuring a safe, drug-free community for the residents of Saratoga County.

Non-alcoholic Sober Bowl party to be held for recovering alcoholics

Featured on: WNYT New Channel 13
Story by: Nia Hamm

Link to full article: http://wnyt.com/news/non-alcoholic-sober-bowl-party-to-be-held-for-recovering-alcoholics/4391402/

Saratoga Springs — Staff at Saratoga Stadium in Saratoga Springs expect huge crowds at the sports bar for Super Bowl Sunday.

“There’s a lot more food ordering a lot more beer and alcohol,” said Saratoga Stadium Manager Lisa Vigliotti. “So just making sure we’re ready stocked and ready to go,” she said.

Alcohol at a Super Bowl event or party can be a problem for recovering alcoholics.

Brian Farr, who is the chairperson of Recovery Advocacy in Saratoga, or RAIS, has a solution.

“We came up with the idea of the Super Bowl last year when we decided that we would like to do something on the Super Bowl that doesn’t involve drinking,” Farr said.

Farr is in recovery and has been sober for 20 years.

He is also a substance abuse counselor at Saint Peters Hospital.

“Being around alcohol just like being around other drugs can be very triggering,” Farr said. “It can be very difficult for someone. If you had quit smoking you wouldn’t want to be around people smoking cigarettes,” he said.

No alcohol? No problem.

Farr said there will be plenty of food, non-alcoholic drinks and tailgating games.”

This is the second year RAIS is hosting the alcohol-free Sober Bowl party. This year’s event will be held at the Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church.

“Our church post different recovery group almost every night of the week,” said Associate Pastor Drew Sperry.

Sperry said some of the former addicts he works with tell him this is what they need.

“They’re in a place where they don’t have a lot of friends or family to celebrate the Super Bowl with and that can also be hard for some people and lead them to make and unhealthy choices.>

Church member Peter Elmendorf agrees.

“It’ll be the second super bowl that I’ve gone to since I quit drinking 36 years ago,” Elmendorf said. “The first one that I went to was right after I quit drinking and I realize that wasn’t a place that I wanted to be,” he said.

“You don’t need alcohol to have a good time to watch a good game,” Vigliotti said.

The event is also for family and friends of people in recovery.

Organizers say events like this also help remove the sigma around addiction.

Kits can help Saratoga County residents safely get rid of old meds

Kits can help Saratoga County residents safely get rid of old meds

Seen in: The Saratogian
Link to full article:http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20161228/kits-can-help-saratoga-county-residents-safely-get-rid-of-old-meds

SARATOGA COUNTY >> One local organization is calling for year-end medication disposal, asking local residents to get rid of any old medications in their homes.

The Community Coalition for Family Wellness is highlighting the upcoming New Year’s holiday as an opportunity to participate in the Reduce the Meds — Reduce the Risk initiative by removing old medications from the home.

As the coming year ushers in new measures to combat substance use disorders and the growing opioid epidemic, The Community Coalition for Family Wellness find that it is important that everyone takes steps to prevent medication misuse.

The most common sources of non-medical use prescription medication is one’s home and the homes of friends and relatives.

Prescription opioid misuse makes up the largest portion of all fatal overdoses and is now the number one cause of death in the United States, a news release said.

All individuals are asked to monitor and secure their medications in their homes until they can responsibly dispose of their medications in a deactivation kit or permanent disposal sites.

More than 750 free drug deactivation system pouches have been distributed at 34 local businesses, municipal buildings, religious organization, and community and educational facilities in the area.

Additionally, more than 650 pouches have been distributed to police and emergency medical service agencies in northern Saratoga County.

Deterra is a drug deactivation system that effectively, safely and quickly deactivates medications. It is powered by a patented MAT12 Molecular Absorption Technology. This environmentally-friendly system has been proven to neutralize drugs in a biodegradable package that works for pills, patches and liquids. Users simply place unused medication in the pouch, add water, and dispose of in the trash. All kits are provided free of charge to any individual at any of the local sites, which include the Saratoga Springs Police Department, Saratoga Hospital, Moreau Town Hall, Moreau Emergency Medical Service, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office, ​Ballston Spa Police Department, CVS in Mechanicville, Clifton Park-Halfmoon EMS, Glens Falls Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s office and the Washington County Sheriff’s office.

More information and a full list of locations with addresses can be found at ccfw.weebly.com/medication-safety.

Fundraiser shines light on opioid epidemic in Saratoga Co.

September 30, 2016
Seen on: WNYT New Channel 13
Story by: Nia Hamm

Full coverage can be found here: http://wnyt.com/news/fundraiser-shines-light-on-opioid-epidemic-in-saratoga-co—–/4279006/

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “We’re just hoping to help someone avoid where we are,” said Kevin Provost.

Provost and his wife, Maureen, lost their son, Dan, 2 and a half years ago.

He would have celebrated a birthday this Monday but died of a heroin overdose.

“He was ready he went through detox,” Maureen said. “Came out of detox and couldn’t find another facility, an inpatient facility to take him,” she said.

The Provosts joined dozens for an art show and fundraiser Friday evening for The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County.

Executive Director Janine Stuchin said the opioid epidemic has a grip on the community.

“We have in this county at least 30 people a week who are having non-fatal overdoses but are being treated by emergency medical services,” Stuchin said.

Attorney Andrew Deluca, who hosted the event at his Saratoga Springs office, said he’s seen a spike in the number of his clients who are addicted to heroin.

“A large reason for their crimes are because they’re addicted to heroin,” DeLuca said. “And I see a lot of them being sent to state prison and once they get clean they’re a different person,” he said.

The Provosts believe the biggest barrier to recovery is access to treatment.

“When an individual is ready to go in to enter the recovery phase they need to do it then,” Maureen said. “They can’t wait the six weeks or eight weeks for, for a bed,” she said.

Prevention Council board member Brian Farr is 20 years sober and is hoping to change the conversation about addiction.

“…getting rid of the guilt and the shame and the stigma that people face and not just people suffering from addiction but their families as well,” he said.

“Trying to do a small part I think is all we’re doing but we need people to step up,” Ken said.

Art show, benefit to battle Saratoga heroin crisis

Art show, benefit to battle Saratoga heroin crisis

Benefit to focus on addiction aid educational program.

Story By: Wendy Liberatore

Seen in: The Times Union

Link to full article: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Art-show-benefit-to-battle-Saratoga-heroin-crisis-9465159.php
Attorney Andrew DeLuca says many of his clients are compelled into a cycle of crime, not because they want to be, but because of an addiction. And few addictions are more insidious than that of heroin.
To call attention to their plight, he’s hosting an art show Friday, with proceeds benefiting the city’s Prevention Council.
“The crimes they commit are linked to their addiction,” said the Saratoga Springs defense lawyer. “They will do anything to get it. Most are intelligent individuals who feel terrible about what they did. They just can’t help themselves.”
Over the years, DeLuca has seen an increase in the number of clients who are hooked on heroin. He calls it an epidemic, and Saratoga Springs police agree. In the Spa City, the police say they “routinely arrest people in possession of heroin and needles.” They also respond to 25 to 30 opioid overdoses a year and see between four and six people die in the city annually from opioid use.
More Information

Slaying the Dragon

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Law Office of Andrew DeLuca, 9 Maple Ave., Saratoga Springs

The county numbers are higher. Saratoga County emergency medical services receives 30 opioid overdose calls a week, according to the Prevention Council. In 2015, it was 14 calls. In 2013, it was five. Nationally, the Center for Disease Control estimates 78 people a day die from opioid overdose.
The growing numbers prompted DeLuca to team with the Prevention Council in what both hope will raise awareness and funding to reduce opioid addiction. They are hosting Slay the Dragon, an art show and benefit for the council from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in DeLuca’s office, 9 Maple Ave. Funds for art sold will go toward the council’s efforts to educate youth and parents as well as training to use Narcan, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose. Last year, the Prevention Council trained and handed out Narcan kits to 75 people throughout the county.
“Family members with an addict living with them really need Narcan,” said Janine Stuchin, the executive director of the Prevention Council. “It saves lives.”
Friday’s event, organized by art promoter Gabriela Delattibodier Wright, features work by many of the area’s best known artists. Among them are sculptors John Van Alstine and Noah Savett as well as painters Tom Myott and Zack Lobdell. DeLuca is also showing two works from his personal collection — both depict arrest mug shots — one of Dennis Hopper and one of Robert Downey, Jr. He feels they are appropriate as both overcame addiction and rose to the top of their profession. He also points to a charcoal drawing of Kurt Cobain, who battled addiction and then sadly took his own life.
“They all struggled with addiction, but Kurt Cobain did not get the help he needed,” said DeLuca.
Of course, the Prevention Council hopes that its educational programs will prevent anyone from sinking into the horrors of addiction. The council is known for its work with youth, counseling and leading substance abuse awareness classes in every school in the county. The nonprofit also trains bartenders and servers on responsible drinking, attends court-mandated victim impact panels, reaches out to problem gamblers, hosts drug take-back programs and educates children on handling bullies and staying safe on the internet. As its name implies, the main mission is prevention.
“People think there is a stereotype for an addict,” said Stuchin. “There isn’t. Addiction is an equal opportunity disease.”