Today is the Great American Smokeout

The American Cancer Society marks the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November each year by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting — even for one day — smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes — Nearly 1 in every 5 adults. As of 2010, there were also 13.2 million cigar smokers in the US, and 2.2 million who smoke tobacco in pipes — other dangerous and addictive forms of tobacco. It also remains as one of the most expensive habits not only to the smoker but to society as well.

Youth Leadership Council members in Van Buren County will be holding a variety of activities both in their school and in the community that bring awareness to the dangers of tobacco. They will have sidewalk chalk art on Main Street in Keosauqua that will encourage smokers to quit on the Great American Smokeout. There will be a memorial event at the Van Buren Jr. High Basketball game to bring awareness to the deadly dangers of tobacco use. These along with all of the other activities that will be happening in the school are in an effort to further reduce youth tobacco use in our community.

For more information on the YLC organization or any of their activities you may contact them at info@vbsafecoalition.com or 319-293-6412. You may also find out more information the website: www.ylc/vbsafecoalition.com or look them up on Facebook!

Why do we recognize National Substance Abuse Prevention Month?

Every day, far too many Americans are hurt by alcohol and drug abuse. From diminished achievement in our schools, to greater risks on our roads and in our communities, to the heartache of lives cut tragically short, the consequences of substance abuse are profound. Yet, we also know that they are preventable. Last month, we paid tribute to all those working to prevent substance abuse in our communities, and rededicated ourselves to building a safer, drug-free America.  Preventing drug use before it begins—particularly among young people—is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences. 

In Van Buren County the SAFE Coalition and Youth Leadership Council (YLC) work with other groups in the county to help prevent substance abuse in our community.  During the month of October the coalition and YLC members recognized National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Medicine Abuse Awareness Month and National Above the Influence Day by holding several activities to encourage positive choices by youth and adults in Van Buren County. 

These activities included a TAG IT activity that helped Van Buren Community High School students identify what they were above the influence of; Peer Teaching to help Van Buren Community Elementary students learn about the effects of substance abuse and choose to pledge to be substance abuse free; a Hall of Horrors event that helped Van Buren Community Middle/High School students understand the dangers of tobacco use; and a prescription drug take back day with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Reserve to help remove expired and unused prescription medications from the community safely. 

Van Buren County SAFE Coalition and the Youth Leadership Council continue to be a leader in Substance Abuse Prevention in Van Buren County.  They fight against these issues in October and all year long.  Stay connected on Facebook or via the SAFE Coalition Website at www.vbsafecoalition.com and the Coalition Blog vbsafecoalition.blogspot.com.  For more information on the SAFE Coalition, YLC and Substance Abuse Prevention Efforts in Van Buren County please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com.

YLC Participates in Red Ribbon Week

The Van Buren Youth Leadership Council took a stand against drugs, alcohol and tobacco once again in honor of Red Ribbon Week. Students from Van Buren High School came up with a variety of activities to bring awareness to the dangers of these substance from Oct 23-31^st.

The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign. NFP provides drug awareness by sponsoring the annual National Red Ribbon Celebration. Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.

Youth Leadership Council members kicked off their week with the elementary students by providing them with red ribbons, hosting a wear red day and visiting each classroom to talk about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and ask students to sign a pledge to be free of these substances. They saw a lot of red that day! They also promoted the event at the Van Buren High School by hosting a wear red day, having a trivia contest and hanging informational posters all over the school!

The week ended with a display in the high school hallway titled Hall of Horrors. This Hallway was decorated spooky with a Halloween theme. Each day students put up posters that showed the number of people killed in all of the most famous wars as well as from the most famous serial killers. At the end of the week they put up posters showing the number of people killed from tobacco, alcohol, drunk driving and texting and driving. This display is to show how many MORE people die from drugs, alcohol and tobacco than from major wars in our history.

YLC members know that it is not only important to bring awareness to these issues during red ribbon week but at all times and in all places. They encourage parents to have conversations with their teens about substance use. Did you know….?? Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don't, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Take a minute today to reinforce the messages your children have heard over the last week and encourage them to never try these dangerous substances.

For more information on Youth Leadership Council or Red Ribbon Week you may contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or via email at info@vbsafecoalition.com

What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us!

As parents, relatives, teachers and concerned adults, we spend a lot of time helping teens circumvent the challenges that could ruin their lives. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is substance abuse. We talk to them about the hazards of underage alcohol use and the problems associated with abusing marijuana and other dangerous drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. According to national statistics, we’re making progress, with most illicit drug use going down over time.

A drug category that requires our attention is prescription medications. The fact is that one in five teens or 4.5 million young people have abused Rx drugs (National Council on Patient Information and Education). They are abusing these medications to get high, fall asleep, wake up and deal with stress.

Teens believe that because Rx medications are legal, they are safer than their illicit counterparts, making these medications the statistical drug of choice after marijuana. Prescription drugs are also easy to get. Fifty-six percent of people who use Rx medications non-medically say they obtain these drugs from friends and relatives (NSDUH 2008), meaning that these drugs are freely shared or taken from medicine cabinets or other accessible places.

How do we protect the rights of those who need these medications to relieve pain, while also preventing their abuse? We’ve got to sound the alarm to parents and adult caregivers that prescription drugs are a source of grave concern. Teens are abusing these drugs and some are even dying because of it. Adults need to lock up their meds, keep track of their medication quantities and learn how to properly dispose of unused medications. Be a part of the solution.

This last weekend the Van Buren County Sherriff’s Office in conjunction with the DEA and the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition held their 5^th Drug Takeback event. This was held in Cantril at Township Hall. Over 13 lbs of prescription medication was collected and returned to the DEA for safe disposal. We want to thank everyone who took part in this event and were part of the solution to a growing problem in our nation and even our own backyard.

If you have questions about how you can help prevent medicine abuse or want to safely dispose of medicines you may have please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or via email at info@vbsafecoalition.com

THE VAN BUREN COUNTY SHERIFF’S RESERVE ARE TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS October 26, 2013 AT THE CANTRIL VILLAGE HALL

On October 26^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Reserve, Van Buren County SAFE Coalition and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to the Cantril Village Hall, W North Street, Cantril.  The service is free and anonymous, no paperwork, no logs, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them.  The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.  DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act.  Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Reserve and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

You do not have to wait for a Drug Take Back event to dispose of your medication.  Lee Pharmacy in Keosauqua accepts the return of prescription medications (excluding controlled substances) during their regular hours at their pharmacy counter.

The coalition is asking for your help in promoting the event, please let anyone who may have unused medication know about this! If you would like to know more about the Prescription Drug Take Back Day or Prescription Drug Abuse please find additional details at the following link: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html or contact the SAFE Coalition office at 319-293-6412.

YLC Students Attend County Wide Training

On October 8, 2013 the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) held their annual training at the Roberts Building in Keosauqua. This training was for Van Buren and Harmony Community School District YLC Student Members in 7^th – 12^th grade.  At this training they participated in various activities to help lead teens in the county in being above the influence of the negative influences in their lives.  There were over 100 teens in attendance for the training this year. 

The youth participated in four different workshops that focused on planning, leadership, producing videos and putting on street marketing activities.  There were different activities held during the leadership session that helped YLC members learn how to work together as a team. 

An ISTEP session taught the students about a statewide organization that can be a resource for local groups.  The students learned about different street marketing activities and how to put these on in their community.    

The members planned activities they would like to do in their communities to encourage others to be drug, alcohol and tobacco free as well.  Each grade/school planned their activities for the rest of the year during this time. 

Finally, the members were trained in video development and production.  Many of the students are interested in making videos related to the issues they are addressing, but needed the training to do so. 

All of the students had fun and learned new things.  They were able to work together as a large group for the entire day, making it easy to get a lot accomplished!  This type of training allows the students to come up with new ways to influence their peers to make good decisions!  For more information on the YLC program or the training you may contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412.

Van Buren County Selected as Finalist for RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize

Van Buren County was chosen today as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) second annual RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize. As a finalist, Van Buren County is one step closer to the RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize which honors communities whose efforts illustrate an enduring commitment toward creating a culture of health for all residents. Van Buren County was selected along with eleven other communities from across the nation for their health improvement efforts and will now be considered for the RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize, which will be announced June 2014.

“We are pleased to have advanced as a RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize finalist community,” said Heidi Bainbridge, Van Buren County SAFE Coalition, This county has been proactive in keeping the community a healthy place to live, they have a lot to proud of and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments”

To earn Prize finalist status, Van Buren County had to illustrate how its efforts to foster healthier outcomes for its citizens reflect the six RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize criteria:

·         Harnessing the collective power of leaders, partners, and community members.

·         Implementing a strategic approach to improving health that focuses on the multiple factors that influence health.

·         Addressing problems that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

·         Developing sustainable, long-term solutions to shared community priorities.

·         Securing and making the most of available resources.

·         Measuring and sharing results.

“Selected from more than 250 applicants, the twelve RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize finalist communities distinguished themselves with creative strategies to help people lead healthier lives,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and CEO. “These communities are shining examples of a growing movement to create a culture of health across our nation.”

The RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize is an annual no-strings-attached $25,000 cash prize that will be awarded to up to six of the finalist communities in June 2014. The Prize was launched to further the work of the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The program provides data, tools and potential solutions to help policy-makers and the public improve the many factors that influence health in their community. The Rankings show communities where there are areas to improve and the Roadmaps show how communities can take action to expand opportunities for healthier choices. The RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize honors communities that are creating a culture of health. Find out more at www.countyhealthrankings.org.