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June 2015 - In This Issue:
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Coalition members supported SAMHSA's National Prevention Week on Tuesday, May 19th during our community partnerships and summer prevention meeting at ETHS. Thank you to Sheila Merry, from Evanston's
Cradle to Career, for sharing
information about the collective impact effort to mobilize our community assets to make a lasting difference in the lives of Evanston's children, youth and families.
This summer, we are recruiting volunteers for many collaborative initiatives in Evanston, including National Night Out, CommUNITY Picnic, STREETS ALIVE! and Dae Dae World Weekend. If you are interested in volunteering for any of these events, please contact Karen Finstad at esapc.coordinator@gmail.com or 847-951-0109. |
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Monday, June 15th |
Tobacco Committee Meeting,
Civic Center 2303
Monday, June 22nd |
BASSET Training
Evanston Ecology Center
10:00-2:00pm
Monday, July 20th |
Tobacco Committee Meeting,
Civic Center 2303
10:00-11:00AM
Tuesday, July 21st |
Executive Committee Meeting,
Tuesday, August 4th |
National Night Out
Church and Dodge Street
6:00-9:00pm
Sunday, August 23th |
CommUNITY Picnic
Ingraham Park
12:00-5:00pm
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Zaneta Balaban
is a Prevention Specialist at PEER Services where she works closely with Evanston Township High School and Evanston/Skokie District 65
schools. She also serves as an active member of the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Zaneta received her Bachelor's degree in Community Health and Wellness from Northeastern Illinois University.
She has experience in planning, implementing and evaluating health education programs for children and adults, in a variety of different settings such as schools and hospitals. In addition, she has worked with several community based organizations, helping coordinate and deliver educational workshops for teachers and students.
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| On behalf of the ESAP Coalition, we want to thank all of our committed community members and volunteers or dedicating their time to efforts preventing youth substance use in Evanston. Whether you voice your concerns attend meetings, help with our events, sit on a committee or work behind the scenes developing the newsletter or translating documents, we appreciate all of the work you do!
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| "ESAP Coalition's mission is to increase the health of Evanston youth by preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use through community-level strategies."
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| Recycling Fair Accepting Medication Disposal |
 Thanks to the support of NorthShore University HealthSystem, Stericycle and the Evanston Police Department, medications will be accepted for disposal at the recycling fair on Saturday, July 11th from 9am-12pm at ETHS. Residentially-generated, unused prescriptions and expired over-the-counter drugs will be accepted, along with medications considered as controlled substances. Community members disposing of medications will be directed to a tent where medications can be turned in to medical and police department staff. The ESAP Coalition will be handing out materials on prescription drugs, including information about safe storage and disposal, and answering questions about prescription drug misuse. Stop by early for your chance to win a medication lock box at the event. The first 100 people who visit the table and sign up for our newsletter will receive an ESAP Coalition grocery bag, as the ban on plastic bags begins August 1st in Evanston. If you are planning on recycling your medications during the event, please use the following guidelines:
- Medicines must be in labeled containers; no loose pills
- Needles or syringes (used or new) will not be accepted
- Multiple medication bottles should be transported in a clear, re-sealable storage bag
- Personal information may be marked out with a black felt tip pen (do not remove labels)
- No bulk turn-ins will be accepted
For more information about the recycling fair, click here. We hope to see you there!
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| Evanston Launches Tobacco Resource Website |
| Due to the rise in resident questions regarding local tobacco legislation, the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services launched a website containing information on tobacco prevention and control. Information found on the page ranges from enacting a smoke-free housing policy, where to get free help to quit tobacco, details on the Evanston Tobacco 21 ordinance and associated enforcement strategies and tobacco prevention resources. If you would like more information or would like to get involved in the ESAP Coalition's tobacco prevention efforts, visit the newly launched website or contact Kristin Preihs, Public Health Educator, at kpreihs@cityofevanston.org. |
| Powdered Alcohol Banned in Illinois |
In early May, Illinois state representatives passed legislation prohibiting the sale of powdered alcohol in Illinois.
Powdered alcohol is a substance that produces an alcoholic drink when mixed with water. In March 2015, powdered alcohol was passed for sale by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, but proponents of the bill prohibiting its sale argue that because powdered alcohol can be well-concealed, minors can more easily hide drinking this type of alcohol. Proponents also worried that the powder may be snorted or eaten, leading to larger consumption and greater chance of intoxication.
It is important that as a community we take measures to keep very dangerous substances out of the easy reach of our youth. By joining other states who have already banned this product we are taking preventative steps to keep a potentially deadly drug out of our communities.
Read the full report here.
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Happy Hour Legislation and Youth Prevention
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Many expect that the governor will sign the Culinary and Modernization Act, that would again allow eateries and bars in Illinois to offer "happy hour" drink discounts. While some believe this bill will increase
culinary tourism in the state, others believe it will entice young people to make poor decisions.
Societal costs, however, may outweigh the increase in sales taxes.
For instance, the CDC estimates that excessive drinking may produce "losses in workplace productivity, health care expenses, and other costs due to a combination of criminal justice expenses, motor vehicle crash costs, and property damage" that could total up to $9.3 billion in Illinois. The Illinois State Senate has already approved the measure on May 31st, and the bill now awaits Governor Rauner's review.
Read the full article here.
The ESAP Coalition has developed a
happy hour FAQ sheet
to address this possible change and its impact on youth substance abuse.
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| Risky Drinking Can Put a Chill on Summer Fun |
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Summer is a great time to have fun with friends and family, but
the dangers of excessive drinking are as real as ever during this season. Drinking decreases inhibition and impairs judgment, and this can lead to fatal consequences in the water, on the road, and in the great outdoors. Research shows that over 50% of water-related deaths of teens and adults involve alcohol use.
Alcohol may cause swimmers to not notice how chilled they are getting from the water, leading to an increased chance of hypothermia. Studies have also shown that alcohol may have been involved in 60% of boating fatalities, including but not limited to falling overboard. Boaters with a blood-alcohol concentration of over 0.1 are 16 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than boaters with a blood-alcohol concentration of zero.
Play it safe this summer by avoiding beverages that can cause mental impairment so that you and your loved ones can fully enjoy many more summers to come.
Read more about summer drinking and safety here.
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Binge Drinking is Falling Among Teens in the U.S.
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A new report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states that underage drinking has dropped significantly within the decade. These findings reveal that underage drinking has declined from 28.8% in 2003 to 22.7% in 2013. Likewise, for binge drinking, the rate decreased from 19.3% to 14.2%.
"When parents communicate clear expectations and they are supported by community efforts to prevent underage drinking, we can make a difference," said Frances M. Harding, Director at SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. "However, there are still 8.7 million current underage drinkers and 5.4 million current underage binge drinkers. This poses a serious risk not only to their health and to their future, but to the safety and well-being of others."
To further push their prevention cause, SAMHSA has created another campaign called "Talk. They Hear You" using a mobile application that assists parents in starting conversations about alcohol with their children. This is an advancement to help prevent potential drinking issues and to educate both parents and youth about the problem.
Read the full article here.
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ESAP Coalition Hosts a Free BASSET Training
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The ESAP Coalition hosted a free Beverage Alcohol Sellers and Servers Education and Training (BASSET) conducted by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) on Monday, June 22nd from 10am-2pm at the Evanston Ecology Center. Under the licensing and regulatory auspices of the ILCC, BASSET is designed to encourage responsible and legal alcohol sales and services. The new BASSET law takes effect on July 1, 2015, requiring all on-premise alcohol servers and bouncers in Cook County to attend BASSET. This policy also requires all Illinois BASSET cardholders to renew their certification every three years. Thank you to Commander Dugan at the Evanston Police Department for coming by and supporting the ESAP Coalition. For more information, read here. |
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STAY CONNECTED
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This newsletter was developed under grant #SP016534 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services. The views, policies, and opinions expressed by the ESAP Coalition are those of its members and do not necessarily reflect those of ONDCP, SAMHSA, or HHS.
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