Super Bowl LIII This Super Bowl Season, Remember: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk

As Super Bowl LIII quickly approaches, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition to remind football fans that designated drivers are the best defense against the dangers of drunk driving. Super Bowl is a festive night in homes and bars across America, but if your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. We want to remind everyone that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

The Super Bowl should be a night of fun, so we want our community folks to plan safe rides home if they plan to be out at a party. Even one drink can impair judgement. You should never put yourself, or others, at risk because you made the choice to drink and drive. For most, even one drink can be one too many.

Safety should be your number one priority: When it’s time to leave the party, make sure your designated driver is actually sober. If he or she decided to drink, you should use the SaferRide app or call someone else who you know hasn’t been drinking. Remember that walking impaired can also be dangerous, so designate a sober friend to walk home with you if needed. If you are driving, remember that sober driving isn’t the only law that should be followed: Make sure you—and your driver—wear your seat belts. It’s your best defense in a crash.

If you’re planning on being the designated driver, refrain from drinking alcohol—it’s that simple. People are relying on you. While at the party, enjoy the food, the company, and non-alcoholic drinks. Encourage other designated drivers on social media using the hashtag #designateddriver. Let @NHTSAgov know you are the #DesignatedDriver so we can add your name to the Wall of Fame. Your positive influence could help keep other sober drivers on the right track. If someone you know has been drinking and tries to drive, take their keys and help them get home safely. Even if they make a fuss in the moment, they’ll thank you later. 

If you’re hosting this year’s Super Bowl party, prepare plenty of snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for your guests and the designated drivers. Don’t forget to tweet your designated driver’s name to @NHTSAgov to add their name to the Wall of Fame, and use the hashtag #designateddriver. They are doing everyone a favor by keeping drunk drivers off the roads. Ask your guests to designate their sober drivers in advance, or help them coordinate with other partygoers’ designated drivers. Encourage your drinking guests to pace themselves, to eat food, and to drink plenty of water. Another important reminder: Do not serve alcohol to minors. If an underage person drinks and drives, the person who provided the alcohol could be held liable for any damage, injury, or death caused by the underage driver. In fact, you could face jail time if you host a party where alcohol is served to people under the age of 21.

Before you head out, make a game plan that includes a sober driver—someone who will not drink at all, and who will safely bring you home. Follow these simple tips for a safe and happy evening:

·         Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver.

·         Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app, available on Google Play for Android devices: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en), and Apple’s iTunes Store for iOS devices: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/saferride/id950774008?mt=8). SaferRide allows users to call a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so they can be picked up.

·         If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.

·         Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

It is illegal everywhere in America to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Even still, thousands die each year in drunk-driving-related crashes. In 2017, there were 10,874 people killed in drunk-driving crashes. The costs can be financial, too: If you’re caught drinking and driving, you could face jail time, lose your driver’s license and your vehicle, and pay up to $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, car towing and repairs, higher insurance rates, and lost wages.

For more information on the dangers of drunk driving, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

Van Buren County IPFS Project Update

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition was awarded the Iowa Partnership for Success (IPFS) Grant in February 2015 to address underage drinking and underage binge drinking in Van Buren County.  The coalition began the fifth year of this five year grant on September 30, 2018.  The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition’s IPFS project is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

During this final year of the IPFS Project the coalition is continuing to build capacity, build sustainability, evaluate the work being done, and implement the five strategies it was funded to work on as follows:  

1) Alcohol Restrictions at Community Events at Privately Owned Facilities: The coalition is working with privately owned facilities to help them write, adopt, and implement alcohol policies focused on the Best Practices for Alcohol Service at their location.  During this year the coalition members will continue to work with three of the ten facilities in Van Buren County to encourage implementation of alcohol restrictions policies.  One facility is in the process of writing their new policy.  Four of the ten facilities have already adopted and implemented new written alcohol restriction policies since 2016.  The coalition would recommend that all facilities in the county put into place a written alcohol restriction policy.  The coalition will also be working with local law enforcement to provide training on how to enforce these new policies. 

2) Alcohol Restrictions in Public Places: Coalition members visited with each city council in 2017 to present them with information on policies they could use that would address the availability of alcohol to youth in public places, such as public parks and community ball fields.  Coalition members visited with the city councils in early 2018 to find out if they are were interested in implementing Alcohol Restriction Policies for their public places. Four of the seven towns stated at that time that they are not interested in implementing Alcohol Restriction Ordinances.  Another town has written policies for their ball park and city park and will be hanging signs at the ball park that no alcohol is allowed.  One town is allowing the coalition to participate in a community event planning committee that will set policy for their community events and may allow a written alcohol restriction policy through this committee.  One town has committed to writing and implementing a best practices alcohol restriction policy for their community parks by the end of 2018.  The coalition is now working to find ways to work with the towns that have said they are not interested in ordinances.  The coalition will also be working with local law enforcement to provide them with training on how to enforce these new ordinances. 

3) Substance Abuse Prevention Programs for Youth: The coalition has worked with the Van Buren Community School District to implement the Botvin Life Skills Training Program in the 7th and 8th grades since the 2016-17 school year.  For the 2018-19 school year the curriculum will be taught by a different teacher so, the coalition and school district with the help of the Decat Board made sure the teacher is trained and ready for the new school year to implement the Life Skills program. In the 2018-19 school year the 7th grade will complete Level I and the 8th grade will complete Level II of the Botvin Life Skills Training Program. 

4) Underage Drinking Prevention Media Campaign: The coalition has worked with local media outlets to implement IDPH’s “What Do You Throw Away” underage drinking prevention media campaign.  It is currently displayed on posters in the Van Buren County Hospital & Clinics; posters at local libraries; on the SAFE Coalition’s Facebook pages, Website, and Blog; and posters and electronic billboard ads at the Van Buren Community Middle/High School. During the summer of 2018 the campaign was also displayed in poster form at local convenience stores, the Keosauqua Pool, and at Lacey Keosauqua State Park.  During the 2017-18 school year the Youth Leadership Council members also helped by placing the media campaign ads on their personal social media accounts to reach their peers with the message.  The coalition will continue to work with local media outlets to ensure youth are exposed to the media campaign. 

5) Social Host Ordinance: A Social Host Ordinance addresses the problem of people knowingly providing a place for underage drinking to happen.  The coalition currently is working to educate community members and government officials on why this ordinance would be helpful in Van Buren County and to build support for the ordinance.  Coalition members are attending community meetings to help educate community members about the ordinance, how to approach local government officials to encourage support for the ordinance and to allow for discussion on the need for such policies in Van Buren County.

Childrens Mental Health & Wellbeing Collaborative Meeting Invitation

The Children's Mental Health & Wellbeing Collaborative will be meeting in Van Buren County on Thursday, March 14th and we would like to invite you to a lunch and learn that day about what we are doing.  Please register here if you plan to attend:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/se-childrens-mental-health-and-well-being-collaborative-lunch-learn-tickets-54779266260

VAN BUREN COUNTY YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL TEENS TAKE PART IN National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®

Group joins teens across the U.S. in week-long effort to SHATTER THE MYTHS ^®on drugs and alcohol

Teenagers from the Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council have joined forces with other teens and scientists across the United States as part of “National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®” (NDAFW). The week-long health observance, organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part of the National Institutes of Health, takes place Tuesday, January 22 through Monday, January 28. NDAFW celebrates the inquisitive minds of teens by giving them a space (virtual or physical) to ask questions about drugs and alcohol and to get scientific answers from experts. As part of the NDAFW celebration, the YLC students are promoting the NDAFW IQ Challenge, are hosting a Lunch and Learn Table on January 24^th at the Van Buren Community Middle/High School, will have vaping, tobacco, alcohol and other drug facts on popcorn bags and sporting events that week, and will have a presentation by a prevention specialist on The Brain and Addiction for the 7^th & 8^th Grade students at the Van Buren Community Middle School on January 25^th.

More than half of high school seniors across the country report using alcohol, and about 14.3 percent report using an illegal drug sometime in the past year.  While drugs can put a teenager’s health and life in jeopardy, many teens are not aware of the risks. Even for those teens who do not abuse drugs, many have friends or family who do, and they are often looking for ways to help them. 

On the 2016 Iowa Youth Survey youth in Van Buren County reported the following facts on substance abuse in Van Buren County:

·         17% of 11^th Graders reported having 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row on at least one day in the past 30 days.

·         27% of 11^th graders reported having had at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days.

·         45% of 6^th, 8^th, and 11^th graders reported that it is easy or very easy for kids under 21 to get alcoholic beverages in their community.  The 11^th grade students had 83% report it is easy or very easy for kids under 21 to get alcoholic beverages in their community. 

·         11^th graders reported that during the past year they got alcohol from the following sources: 3% Bought it, 7% Gave someone money to buy it, 18% Got it at a party, 13% A friend who is under 21 gave it to them, 10% A friend who is over 21 gave it to them, and 10% Got it from a parent

·         40% of 6^th, 8^th, and 11^th graders reported that it is easy or very easy for kids under 18 to get cigarettes in their community. 

·         27% of 6^th, 8^th, and 11^th graders reported that it is easy or very easy for a kid their age to get marijuana in their community.

We want teens to have the opportunity to learn what science has taught us about drug abuse, alcohol, and addiction. There are so many myths about drugs and alcohol cluttering our popular culture. National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® is for teens to get honest answers about drugs so they can make good, informed decisions for themselves and share accurate information with friends.

For more information on ND&AFW, YLC or the SAFE Coalition please contact the coalition staff members at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org or check out the coalition blog https://vbsafecoalition.blogspot.com/, or on Facebook at Van Buren County SAFE Coalition or Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council.

WARNING…. EXPIRED EMPLOYEES!

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition will be completing an audit of all Van Buren County Licensees. When it has been completed the coalition staff will send you a copy of who is or is not trained at your business.  Coalition members are available to meet with business owners/managers to help you with your business and any questions you may have in regard to licensing rules and training your staff.  In order for a local business to be eligible to eliminate administrative sanctions on a local compliance check the employees must have a current certification with the coalition from the free Merchant Alcohol Training. In order to eliminate administrative sanctions on a state patrol compliance check your employees must be trained through I-PACT the ABD online training system.

The 3 Step Employee Training Process that the coalition encourages merchants to follow for trainings is as follows:

1. Orientation DVD: Checking ID’s– Easy as 1-2-3

2. SAFE Merchant Alcohol Training Program

3. I-PACT Online Training Program– Iowa ABD

The SAFE Coalition will be holding merchant alcohol trainings during the month of January on the 23^rd at 6:00 pm and the 24^th at 9:00 am at the Roberts Building Conference Room in Keosauqua. The trainings in 2018 will be held every other month unless a business is in need of a personal training and those can be set up through the coalition by calling 319-293-3334 ext. 1017.

If you have employees who need to be re-trained or who have never been trained plan to get them to a training as soon as possible. If you are unsure of the status of your employees you may contact the coalition office. If you would like to set up a private training for your business please contact Kris at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017. If you have other questions or concerns the coalition can be reached via email at info@vbsafecoalition.com or by phone at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017. RSVP is required for all trainings.