JULY, 2022
Celebrate Independence Day Safely!
With Independence Day approaching, Prevention First would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable long weekend! While July 4 is often a day of celebrations, unfortunately, those festivities can turn fatal when alcohol is involved. During this holiday, impaired driving significantly increases. From 2016 to 2020, there were 1,390 drivers killed in
motor vehicle traffic crashes over the Fourth of July holiday period â€” 41% of the drivers killed were drunk. Help keep yourselves and your community safe this weekend. Remind those around you that buzzed driving is drunk driving, and consider sharing prevention resources from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"Fourth of July should be fun, not fatal. Let's help keep our roads and communities safe this upcoming weekend!"

– Kathy Murphy, Traffic Safety Resource Center Administrator

Strategic Prevention Framework
Communities and coalitions can achieve outcome-based prevention through the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). The process works because it links local data to proven, evidence-based solutions. Every community, with its unique characteristics, can follow this roadmap.

The SPF brings local people together to drive the process. Community-driven means a group of people (coalition) that is representative of the community (all sectors) comes together to analyze local data, resulting in strategies and policies put into place locally. The SPF process is successful when the group ensures that all members are heard and responsible for their prevention efforts based on local data. To learn more about the SPF process, download the Strategic Prevention Framework resource guide. 
The Alcohol Policy Resource Center can assist with how to analyze your data, scan your community, and match policy/strategy to assessment findings. The APRC can also provide certified training to law enforcement on evidence-based strategies such as Alcohol Compliance Checks or Controlled Party Dispersal. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Kellie Henrichs or Jody Heavilin.
Being Visible: A Look at What it Takes to Be an LGBTQ+ Ally 

A recording of our last month's webinar, “Being Visible: A Look at What it Takes to Be an LGBTQ+ Ally” is now available. Learn how you can better support members of the LGBTQ+ community and fight against the risk factors that contribute to increased mental health and substance use challenges. Watch the recording here.

Subscribe to the Youth Prevention Resource Center’s newsletter to stay informed about upcoming webinars and to receive resources we are producing with the help of our Student Advisory Board.

The technical assistance offered at Prevention First expands professional development beyond training to assist substance use prevention providers in applying what they have learned in their communities. Timely, flexible and provider-tailored technical assistance is available to meet the individual needs of providers.
Online Training Spotlight:

Are you new to working in the prevention field or perhaps you could use a refresher on the latest trends in substance use? The AOD Effects and Trends online self-paced course will make sure you are up to date on the latest information about substance use disorders, effects and trends of substance use by teens, and the signs and symptoms of use.
Resources for Building Health Equity & Inclusion Into your Prevention Efforts

Although LGBTQIA+ Pride Month has officially come to an end, it is important to commit to ensuring prevention programs and services are equitable and inclusive every month. Here are some resources to assist you: 


Online Self Study Courses
For more information about technical assistance or other services we offer,
Now available on our website: Cannabis Derivatives Infographic. As new cannabis-derived and synthetic cannabis products emerge, community members, parents, and youth may be unsure why some are available on store shelves and some are required to be sold only at dispensaries. This infographic explains the difference. Download it and share it with your community today!
Before you start celebrating this Independence Day, look over these safety tips to keep you, your loved ones, and everyone else safe on the road.

  • Only drive 100% sober. That means no alcoholic beverages, not even one. Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
  • Plan ahead: If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make a smart decision, you might not. Before you have one drink, designate a sober driver who won’t be drinking.
  • You have options: designate a sober driver or use public transportation or a ride service. Getting home safely is always worth it.
  • If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously and don’t drink.
  • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact [Local Law Enforcement].
  • Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and let a sober driver get your friend home safely.

This Fourth of July, commit to only driving when you’re 100% sober. If you’re the driver – you can’t drink. As you head out to celebrate, remember:

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO REDUCE NICOTINE IS CIGARETTES
Last week the Biden adminsitration and the FDA announced that they are committed to issuing a proposed rule by 2023 to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels. This proposal complements the FDA's new proposed rules to prohibit menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Read more here.
Professional Development at Your Pace
Archived Webinars

Don't miss out on Prevention First's collection of live webinars to watch at your own convenience:

For APRC Webinars, visit their GoTo Stage for archived webinars.

For Substance Use Prevention Webinars, visit SUPP Training Events- Archived Webinar on the sidebar.

For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Webinars, visit their webpage.

For SUPR Treatment & Recovery Webinars, visit SUPR Training Events- Archived Webinar on the sidebar.