October is a busy month for the prevention department! We are busy scheduling, planning, and hosting events.
October is National Substance Use Prevention Month. It is an observance designed to highlight the importance of prevention and promote healthy and safe communities. YSS along with the county coalitions from Region 1 will be holding a billboard design contest for the area schools. First place winners will have their artwork displayed on a billboard located in that student’s county. This contest is open to all area students in 6-8th grade, and all designs must be submitted by Wednesday, September 29th.
Saturday, October 23rd is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10-2pm. The prevention department along with local law enforcement will be set up in various locations in the region to collect resident’s unwanted prescription drugs. Our goal is to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible environment for community members to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of no-longer-needed medications.
Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31st. This national campaign is one of the largest and longest-running prevention campaigns. Begun as a tribute to a fallen DEA agent, this campaign highlights the effects of drug misuse on the community as a whole, including a focus on the lives lost when misuse leads to abuse that sometimes leads to violence and crime in our communities. Since we cannot physically be in the schools at this time, the prevention department came up with some fun suggestions that can be easily shared and completed at school. We sent these activity suggestions to area school counselors for distribution. Our goal is to get students as well as parents involved with substance use prevention and participate in Red Ribbon Week!
Michelle Rohde