Prevention Council News
Prevention Council News
High schools helping hungry students
Seen in: The Post Star Story by: Bill Toscano Two area high schools are setting up facilities to allow students to obtain food and health supplies at no cost. School officials in Whitehall and South Glens Falls are pursuing the idea, though both schools are avoiding the use of the phrase “food pantry” because of its stigma. “We are going to call it ‘The Country Cupboard’ and it will have a separate entrance so it is not that visible,” said Deb Mackey, food services director at Whitehall schools, who helped develop the idea along with her staff. “It’s a [...]
Media must tell the truth about gambling
Seen in: The Daily Gazette October 5, 2017 Letter to the 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’m writing to express my concern regarding media literacy. Despite the fact that gambling is illegal for anyone under the age of 18, approximately 68 percent of American youth between the ages of 14 and 21 report having gambled in the last year. Media could be one of the reasons why so many kids are [...]
Saratoga Springs, Schenectady remember addiction victims
Seen in: The Daily Gazzette Story by: Ned Campbell Link to full article: https://dailygazette.com/article/2017/08/31/what-s-happening-thursday-aug-31 SARATOGA SPRINGS AND SCHENECTADY — Death from a drug overdose is not a natural death. It’s whispered about. It generally isn’t reflected in an obituary, Maureen Provost said Thursday to a somber crowd at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs. “This can make the loved one’s passing even more heart-wrenching because it may be difficult to be honest about their death,” said Provost, whose son, Dan, was 23 when he died of a heroin overdose in 2014. “We are here tonight to show our support for those lost [...]
Letter to the Editor: Saratoga County Could Raise the Age
Seen in: The Saratogain Twelve counties across NYS have changed the age of purchase for tobacco from 18 to 21. Saratoga County could be the next to adopt a law that will save future lives from nicotine addiction. As The Director for School Based Education for The Prevention Council of Saratoga County, I would like to share some information relevant to this topic. My colleagues and I travel to twelve school districts within Saratoga County delivering evidence based drug and alcohol prevention curriculum to students in grades K-12. Kid’s attitudes towards alcohol and drugs differ dramatically depending on their developmental [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]