Wood County Prevention Coalition Newsletter

Summer 2023

Wood County Prevention Coalition

MISSION

We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.

VISION

Helping youth be drug-free, responsible, and productive citizens.

Mark Your Calendar

Mark your calendar for our next Wood County Prevention Coalition/Addiction Task Force meeting: Friday, September 22 at 9:00 a.m. This meeting will be held at the Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 North Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH 43402.

Meeting notices will be sent out, but please invite others to attend as well. Those not on our email distribution list should contact Tina Bradley at tbradley@wcesc.org to be added. All are welcome!

Download the 2023 WCPC Meeting Schedule

Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant Updates

It is the season for picnics in the park, backyard cookouts, family vacations, baseball games and poolside fun. Yes, summertime is here!

As year nine of the Drug-free Communities (DFC) grant rolls toward its close, we celebrate the efforts of our dedicated community members working to someday realize a drug-free Wood County. Below are a few of the many strides made toward this effort in the last few months.

Above is one of two billboards that appeared along Dixie Highway in April (one north of Bowling Green and the other south of Perrysburg). These problem gambling prevention billboards were funded by a Prevention Action Alliance grant that was used as non-federal match for this year's DFC grant.

In conjunction with the Wood County Addiction Response Collaborative, a series of Safe Drug Disposal programs recently took place at various Wood County Committee on Aging congregate meal sites last spring. Above are two of the attendees from the Grand Rapids site presentation on April 27--displaying the Deterra our Coalition provided to them.

Following on the heels of our successful "Project Secure Those Meds" activity (funded by the Bowling Green Community Foundation), DFC dollars were used to expand the program to include areas outside Bowling Green (May). Prescription drug lock boxes were provided (for distribution) to Bowling Green State University's (BGSU) Center for Women and Gender Equity and Ohio Living (for their Wood County hospice clients). Pictured above is Kacee Ferrell Snyder, Ph.D., of BGSU holding one of the prescription drug lock boxes.

A series of Wood County Educational Service Center's Prevention Education events "Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs" took place in May. A collective total of 525 youth and 300 adults participated in 2023.

DFC Grant Coordinator Tina Bradley took to the radio airwaves in May

(WBGU's The Morning Show) to discuss the latest Coalition projects.

In May, we welcomed Charity Thomas-Roebel as our summer intern from

Bowling Green State University.

A scene from our well-attended Wood County Prevention Coalition/Addiction Task Force meeting (June).

2024 Youth Survey Planned

Every two years, in conjunction with the Wood County Educational Service Center and the Wood County ADAMHS Board, our Coalition embarks on the undertaking of the Biennial Report of The Wood County Youth Survey. This survey was last published in 2022 (check it out here).

First published in 2004, the Report provides a consistent method to follow the trends in adolescent alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in Wood County, Ohio. Through the years, it has been expanded to track mental health, bullying, adverse childhood experiences, as well as gaming and gambling issues. The survey is implemented in all ten public school systems in Wood County in grades 5 through 12.

The 2024 survey will contain the same questions as it did in 2022. However, this time, questions will be added in an effort to determine if youth are sports betting. These additional questions are in response to the legalization of sports betting in Ohio as of January this year.

Another change is that the survey will be conducted online versus pencil and paper. William J. Ivoska, Ph.D., our consultant spearheading the survey, notes, "In the past, not all schools were equipped for an electronic survey, but COVID changed that." Qualtronics is the electronic platform to be used for this survey. Ivoska explained this change is financially and environmentally more responsible (saves postage, paper, etc.) and also uses less staff labor.

Stay tuned to our various social media platforms for more updates on the 2024 survey. Should you have any questions related to the survey, contact Director Kyle Clark.

Speaker Event--Save the Date!

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 20 for a presentation by author Erin Merryn, childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist. This event is made possible by the Wood County ADAMHS Board, Wood County Educational Service Center Prevention Education, The Cocoon and Children's Resource Center. Stay tuned--more details are forthcoming on our various social media pages!