Together, we aim to prevent young people from developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, opioids, and other substances. |
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Welcome Back to Hybrid Meetings!
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The Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition held its first hybrid meeting this October. The hybrid meeting was assisted with the use of an OWL, and after some slight technical difficulties, we could connect live with folks virtually and in the room. When asked in an anonymous poll during the September Coalition Meeting, "Assuming appropriate safety measures are in place, what is your preference for meeting format moving forward?" All voters unanimously selected "all in-person" and "hybrid," and there were no votes to continue with "remote only" options.
"Welcome back to hybrid" isn't quite right. We have never met in a hybrid environment, and it takes some getting used to. Seeing friends and colleagues in 3D, meeting new faces, printed agenda, handouts, flip charts, expo markers, and sign-ins are all things we have lived without since the coronavirus pandemic.
Some of us will continue to join remotely as we opt for the hybrid model. Together, we will continue to explore different meeting spaces until we settle into the right fit and find an area that is consistently available at our monthly meeting time. The last meeting was hosted at the Port Angeles Public Library; due to scheduling conflicts, the upcoming meeting will be at Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services.
I look forward to seeing you in either 2D or 3D on Thursday, November 17th. As always, friends, neighbors, and colleagues are welcome. For new folks and faces take a look at our Welcome to PAHYC document.
| | Success Story: Med Take Back Day |
This year to further ensure the safe storage of prescription medication and other substances, the Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition provided Port Angeles residents with a combination Lock bag to take home at no cost. Thank you, Clallam County Sherriff's Office, for welcoming us to partner on this event - congratulations on collecting several pounds of expired and unused medications!
While medicines help treat disease, manage chronic conditions, and improve health – unused and expired prescription medications pose a public safety concern. Opioids are now one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths in Washington State. Seventy-five percent of opioid misuse starts with people using medication that wasn't prescribed for them—usually taken from a friend or family member, often without their knowledge. These safe storage efforts aim to protect young people by helping residents safely store prescriptions being used in the home.
For more information and other collection, sites visit https://med-project.org, and safe storage, visit https://getthefactsrx.com.
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| Recruiting Program Staff: Guiding Good Choices |
Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition continues to serve six families at this fall's Guiding Good Choices workshop. This workshop is for parent and caregivers in Port Angeles with 6th, 7th and 8th graders. This is our first series offering childcare along with dinner, and it has been a big success. To help us build capacity to reach more families, we are looking for more childcare providers and interested facilitators.
Guiding Good Choices is beloved program from the University of Washington to support families with children growing into early adolescence. Together participants explores how to navigate these changes, and challenges alongside parent program leaders and fellow parents, grandparents and caregivers.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a trained facilitator or co-facilitator, at no cost, reach out to our Coordinator, Rachel Ray at 360-565-2637 with any questions. To be considered for a childcare position, email us your resume at Rachel.Ray@clallamcountywa.gov. Both positions are fully paid with funds from Washington Health Care Authority.
| | Last Chance! Port Angeles Community Survey |
We have met half our goal with 140 survey entries! Thank you for contributing your voice and helping us to better serve local youth and families. The Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition is participating for the 2nd time in the annual Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) Community Survey. For over a decade, Washington Health Care Authority's CPWI has conducted a statistically valid community survey to learn more about the impact of underage substance use across the state.
We encourage all Port Angeles residents, and professionals working in our community to participate in this annual survey, available online until November 15th. If you have not had a chance to complete this quick 5-minute survey, please do so at tinyurl.com/PAHYCoalition
or https://www.research.net/r/CLPOANEN2022.
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Washington State Prevention Summit
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The prevention community in Washington State has been convening annually since the 1980s. The initial conferences were held in Ellensburg, Washington, on the campus of Central Washington University. The conferences were known as “family focus” meetings, and soon after became known as the annual “Building a Vision” conference. After a few name changes in the late 1990s, the annual conference was renamed in 1999 as the Washington State Prevention Summit.
This annual community summit is an opportunity for training and networking for coalition members, partners and prevention professionals to talk prevention and health promotion! The Summit provides high-quality workshops, forums, and hands-on learning opportunities designed to meet a variety of needs, including professional development for prevention professionals. A separate youth track gives youth volunteers their own space to increase skills, share experiences, network, and gain knowledge to be effective prevention advocates.
This year's summit will be held virtually (live but online) this November 8th and 9th! Our funding covers registration for all coalition members and partners (that's you!) To get registered at no cost to you, please email Rachel.Ray@clallamcountywa.gov or call 360-565-2637. To learn more visit, www.preventionsummit.org.
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Join Us Next Time - In Person!
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“With rare exceptions, all of your most important achievements on this planet will come from working with others- or, in a word, partnership.” - Paul Farmer, MD, Ph.D.
Our Coalition seeks members and partners within the community, who have a passion for preventing youth substance use and misuse, and promoting a safe place where young people thrive, free from substance misuse and supported in their overall health and well-being.
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, every third Thursday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89225054548 or in-person the November meeting will be held at Clallam County Juvenile Family Services. All voices are welcome.
To learn more visit, www.pahealthyyouth.org.
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