Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
Agenda Set for Friday's Coalition Meeting
In June of 2016, Ohio signed into law a medical marijuana program that is schedule to take effect in September of 2018. Marcie will be presenting on what some of the finalized laws are and what those working to prevent substance abuse can do in this new environment. Also, on the agenda will be a brief discussion on the upcoming 2018 Wood County Youth Survey, a round-table discussion and an award presentation.
To view or print this agenda pictured above, please open this newsletter in a browser or email mkarna@wcesc.org for a pdf copy. A detailed flyer of the coalition meeting is presented below.
For questions about the meeting please contact Milan Karna at (419) 354-9010 ext 174 or email mkarna@wcesc.org.
To learn more about the Wood County Prevention Coalition please visit: wcprevention.org
Epidemic at work? Businesses forced to deal with drug abuse
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG Associated Press
SEPTEMBER 24, 2017
NEW YORK – After his own troubled youth, Phillip Cohen made it a practice to hire people at his woodworking business who have also struggled with addiction and mental health issues. But when an employee died from a drug overdose, he adopted a zero-tolerance policy.
“I think I have saved lives,” said the owner of Cohen Architectural Woodworking in St. James, Mo. — an area hit very hard by the nation’s growing opioid epidemic. Opioids range from prescription pain medicine like oxycodone to illegal drugs like heroin.
Cohen still hires former drug addicts, felons and people who have been traumatized in life. One person, now a top employee, was hired right after he finished drug rehabilitation. Another used to sell illegal drugs. Still, Cohen said, if a worker fails a periodic random drug or alcohol test, “we’ll fire them on the spot.”
The epidemic of drug use — a report from the surgeon general last year said that 20 million Americans have a substance use disorder — is forcing many small business owners to think about what they would do if they suspect an employee is abusing drugs or alcohol.
From 1999 to 2015, the number of overdose deaths from opioids and heroin quadrupled, the National Institute on Drug Abuse said. The government also reported more than 15 million adults with what’s called alcohol use disorder in 2015.
More than 70 percent of employers with 50 or more workers have been affected by prescription drugs, according to a survey released this year by the National Safety Council.
Surviving A Big Storm Doesn’t Mean The Trauma Is Over
FiveThirtyEight Sep 14, 2017
The hurricanes in the Gulf and Florida over the last few weeks have left people displaced — and from more than just their homes. Places of worship, community centers, parks and schools are underwater, missing roofs or windows. And those losses can set the social infrastructure of a person’s life adrift. Years after the family is safe and the home is rebuilt, disaster victims could still be struggling with health problems that got a start because of the way a stressful, terrifying situation disrupted their lives. It’s even possible, some researchers say, that the stress and fear alone could create health problems later.
It’s easy to take social support systems for granted, but the role they play in reducing stress and keeping us healthy is crucial. When the federal Disaster Distress Helpline starts taking calls after an event like a hurricane, the requests it fields are less about direct let’s-talk-about-feelings therapy, and more about solving practical problems in survivors’ lives, said Maryann Robinson, chief of the Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress Services Branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which operates the service. There’s the Alcoholics Anonymous member trying to find a meeting that wasn’t flooded out. Or maybe a person with a much-needed prescription, but whose pharmacy was destroyed and whose doctor evacuated out of the state. If those workaday crises aren’t solved, they can start a chain reaction in the lives of survivors — a domino that carries the impact of the trauma far beyond the reach of a storm surge or gust of wind.
RSVP to the next WCPC Community Meeting!
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, Sep 29, 2017, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our 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.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition