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National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Prevention First supports National Impaired Driving Prevention Month in December, raising awareness about the dangers of impaired driving and responsible choices on the road. The holiday season brings an increase in gatherings and travel, making it crucial to address this issue. Impaired driving involves operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. On average, three in five people will be involved in an impaired driving crash in their lifetime. It is entirely preventable, so it's essential to know the facts and discuss the dangers with others.
Every day, approximately 800 people are injured, and 29 people die in drunk-driving crashes in America. Additionally, a study found that car crash deaths rose 10% in states that legalized recreational cannabis. Traffic crashes are a leading cause of teen fatalities, and many residents have concerns about impaired driving.
Prevention First Chief Executive Officer Karel Homrig emphasizes the importance of community collaboration to reduce these incidents: "Parents and caregivers face added pressure during the holidays, so they should discuss the dangers of underage drinking and substance use with their children, set expectations, and share resources. It's also important to coordinate driving plans with other parents and maintain substance-free environments at parties."
Prevention First works with various stakeholders, using evidence-based programs to empower individuals, especially young people, to make informed decisions and understand the consequences of impaired driving. View the official press release here.
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Roadside Safety Checks
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. A Roadside Safety Check, also known as a Roadside Sobriety Checkpoint, is a law enforcement tool to detect and deter impaired driving. Roadside Safety Checks work when paired with a strong awareness campaign. Campaigns can be conducted by law enforcement or in conjunction with a prevention coalition. You can download an Alcohol Policy Resource Center fact sheet on Roadside Sobriety Checkpoints and a Roadside Safety Check infographic.
The Alcohol Policy Resource Center can also assist with how to analyze your data, scan your community, and match policy/strategy to assessment findings. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Jody Heavilin.
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Online Training Spotlight: Do your prevention programs have strong support from your community? Prevention programs need to build local community support to be effective and sustainable. To build support, your community needs to know who you are and what you do and that your work makes a difference. Learn more about promoting your prevention efforts to your community and increasing awareness of your services by taking the online self-paced Promote Your Prevention Efforts and Build Support training.
Retailers Warned to Stop Selling Illegal Youth-Appealing E-Cigarettes. On November 16th, the FDA issued warning letters to seven online retailers for selling and/or distributing unauthorized e-cigarettes. The unauthorized e-cigarettes are packaged to look like youth-appealing toys and drink containers, including milk cartons, soft drink bottles, and slushies. It is important for educators and those who work with youth to be aware of these illegal youth-appealing products, which can be deceiving and easily concealed, including among younger students. Read the FDA Press Release here.
More Training Resources
Are you looking for more prevention training opportunities? Check out the training and resources available through the Great Lakes PTTC.
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New Resource: 5 Steps for Prevention Strategies
Misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is a problem throughout the United States. Communities vary greatly in the specific problems they face, the groups affected by those problems, and the events that rouse people to take action.
In addition to having different problems and priorities, some communities have more resources and experience with locally-based prevention activities than others. Yet, with a “can do” approach and a bit of guidance, any community can have success in implementing strategies and programs to prevent substance use.
SAMHSA has produced a great guide titled "Focus on Prevention: Strategies and Programs to Prevent Substance Use". The materials included in the Focus on Prevention guide were created for your use with the evidence-based SPF model in mind. Think of the tools in this guide as building blocks for planning your prevention event— each can help you strengthen your efforts and reach your specific objectives.
The YPRC has created the free, downloadable resource "5 Steps for Prevention Strategies" to follow as you plan and implement your prevention strategies.
Also, keep in mind that the YPRC is always available to assist you and your prevention coalition in your prevention planning through our free technical assistance. Email us to get started!
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Resource Spotlight: Municipal Ordinance Directory
The Cannabis Policy Resource Center is here to help communities with many tools and resources – highlighted today is the CPRC’s Municipal Ordinance Directory.
The directory highlights policies communities may consider implementing at the local level. It will be updated continually as we learn more about best practice policy.
Coming soon on the directory: a step-by-step webinar for utilizing the directory and requesting assistance!
If you would like assistance reviewing or implementing these or other cannabis-related policies, reach out to the CPRC today!
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Join us for the Final Harm Reduction ECHO! CEUs are Available!
Leadership Center Harm Reduction ECHO: We are wrapping up our first session of the first Harm Reduction ECHO! We’d love to have you join us on December 18 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. to see what it’s all about and learn more about our second session! The topic will be “Building Community Support.”
Prevention First Leadership Center (PFLC) Harm Reduction ECHO focuses on harm reduction issues and community-based strategies to prevent substance use-related overdoses, deaths, or other harmful impacts, including decreasing the stigma surrounding harm reduction. These ECHOs are open to anyone, so please join us! Register Now!
Submit a Case Presentation
Case presentations are at the core of the ECHO program. This is an opportunity to engage the community and peers in discussing real-life situations, challenges, or practices. The case presentation form captures information about the "case" you want to address. We’d love to hear from you! If you are interested in presenting a case, please get in touch with Megan Edmondson to discuss. This is a friendly environment to discuss with a community of your peers. We’d love to talk you through the process and support you in any way. Click here to submit a case.
Leadership Center Networking Guide
Download the Leadership Center Networking 101 Toolkit. This toolkit identifies the critical steps to build a network to support work on opioid use disorder (OUD) but can apply to any prevention effort. For more information on Leadership Center resources or the toolkit, contact Megan Edmondson.
Training Opportunities
We have some exciting training opportunities coming up, and information can be found below! There are CEUs available for some of the sessions. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Training Date: December 12th at Noon
Title: "When Recovery Community Organizations (RCO) & Communities Collide: A Tale of Developing Recovery Support Services and Systems," by Ty Bechel.
CEUs are available for this training.
Click here to register or for more information.
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Prevention First is proud to introduce the Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC). The MHRC, launched in August 2023, is a collaboration between Prevention First and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Illinois. Please watch for more information as we develop training and resources.
The MHRC provides mental health training and resources throughout Illinois. The following trainings are available: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); safeTALK; Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR); and Opioid Overdose Recognition and Naloxone (Narcan) Administration. If you are interested in attending or hosting one of these trainings, please contact Yoli Holmes, Administrator of the MHRC.
The Mental Health Resource Center is conducting a Training Landscape Assessment. This 12-question survey focuses on gathering information on what mental health and substance use training has been available for staff in various helping professions (i.e., prevention, education, law enforcement, first responder, substance use, or mental health) over the past two years. This 10-minute survey is live until 12/31/23, and the results will guide future training opportunities across Illinois. We invite you to complete the survey, and please forward the link to your colleagues. Survey results will be shared in early 2024.
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Seasonal Affective Disorder
December is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month. SAD is a type of depressive disorder that typically affects people living in climates with less daylight in the fall and winter months. According to the American Psychiatric Association, 5% of adults experience SAD for about 40% of the year, with symptoms peaking in January and February. Common signs and symptoms to be aware of include feelings of sadness and hopelessness, chronic fatigue and poor sleep, weight gain, and lack of interest in participating in activities one used to enjoy. Together, these symptoms suggest more than just “winter blues,” so resources are available if you or someone you care about is affected. The National Institute for Mental Health provides insight into SAD and some treatment options.
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Upcoming Webinar
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is hosting the free webinar:
Harnessing Technology and Social Media to Address Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents and Emerging Adults
Wednesday, December 13
12 noon–1:00 p.m. ET
To join, please click here to RSVP by Monday, December 11.
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Self-paced courses and archived webinars
Don't miss out on Prevention First's collection of online courses and archived webinars for professional development at your own convenience.
For Alcohol Policy Resource Center Webinars, visit here for archived webinars.
For Substance Use Prevention Courses & Webinars, visit SUPP Training Events- Online or Archived Webinar on the sidebar.
For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Webinars, visit their webpage.
For Cannabis Policy Resource Center webinars, visit here for archived webinars.
For SUPR Treatment & Recovery Webinars, visit SUPR Training Events- Archived Webinar on the sidebar.
For Youth Prevention Resource Center webinars, visit here for archived webinars.
For Reimagine Youth Development Training and Technical Assistance resources, visit their webpage here.
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