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e-newsletter | |
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Let's begin by saluting our Executive Director emeritus, Cathy Finck. Thank you Cathy, for your many years of outstanding service to the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce and for working with our leaders and staff to facilitate our transition into a new era.
Significant highlights are already marking this new era: In March we launched our RealProof campaign, and in April, we will join prevention organizations all over America in observing and promoting Alcohol Awareness Month.
Mopdog, a local advertising and communications firm, is working with the Taskforce to create a series of messages for print, video, and the web that are designed to counteract misperceptions about alcohol, underage and binge drinking. The videos provide real facts and answers to common fallacies about alcohol. To see the videos and find out more, please visit http://cobbat.org/realproof/, our RealProof web page. RealProof is presented in partnership with the Cobb County School District, and funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
The important messages we will present during Alcohol Awareness Month will not stop when April ends. We will continue our outreach into the next month, as we join America in observing National Prevention Week (May 12-18). Email alerts about specific activities will come soon. Please visit the Taskforce web site, www.cobbat.org, to find out
about frequent updates in our activities.
Thank you all for your support!
Peter I. Armstrong,
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SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
A five-year study conducted by a division of the
Georgia Department of Public Health found that
over 2,300 emergency room visits by minors in
Cobb County were directly related to alcohol.
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CALENDAR SNAPSHOT
APRIL
1 - 30 - CAT Real Proof Campaign
1 - 30 - National Alcohol Awareness Month
2 - CPAW Meeting
2 - CAT General Meeting
3 - ONDCP Webinar
11 - Georgia Alcohol Policy Discussion
16 - Education Strategy Team Meeting
17 - ICCPUD Webinar
23 - Youth Strategy Team Meeting
27 - Youth Council Celebration
MAY
7 - CAT General Meeting
12 - 18 - National Prevention Week
13 - Underage Drinking Prevention Day
21 - Education Strategy Team Meting
(please check the calendar page frequently at www.cobbat.org for 2013 meeting times, locations and updates)
APRIL HIGHLIGHT:
HEALTHCARE PARTNERS
Healthcare practitioners are often on the front lines in organized efforts to reduce injury and improve health outcomes for children and adolescents, particularly for alcohol-related health emergencies.
Research-based healthcare practitioner interventions can change social conditions, help reduce unhealthy youth drinking, and positively impact a variety of related public health indicators
Here are some suggestions for action, in keeping with the U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action: 1) Be alert to signs of youth alcohol use, during routine and emergency medical examinations; 2) Make screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) a standard operating practice/procedure; 3) Talk to parents and youth in your practice about the need to prevent underage and youth binge drinking.
THANKS TO ALL OUR OUTSTANDING HEALTHCARE PARTNERS. Follow the 'shout outs' to healthcare partners on Facebook and Twitter throughout April.
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Taskforce Happenings
Real Proof Campaign is Underway - We are continuing to roll out "Real Stories," "Real Facts," and "Real Proof" about underage and youth binge drinking through April 30th. Help is needed: 'like' us on Facebook or become a Twitter 'follower' and encourage others to do the same, contact Jeff if you will place a poster in high traffic areas or distribute stickers. Be on the lookout for more campaign messages, throughout the month.
New Board Members - Please welcome to the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Board of Directors: Dick Cottrill, Chief Operating Officer, Hope Homes; Karellis Ferrer, Latino Outrech Coordinator, YWCA of West Georgia; and Paul Gonzales, Employment Counselor, Work Release Program, Cobb County Sheriff's Office.
Now that Prom Season is Here - A list of all local high school prom dates/times/locations have been shared with all law enforcement agencies who will be on alert during this high risk time for underage drinking. The Taskforce is using our "Real Proof" Campaign as another way to support and promote a Safe Prom Season!
April Webinars (2) - Picture It: April 3rd, 1 - 2 p.m. EST, engages teens in a discussion and a photo-sharing exercise that highlights the potential pressures and risks teens may face during their prom and graduation season. The webinar is sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy's "Above the Influence" campaign. Click here for more information and to register. Shape of the Solution: April 17, 2 - 3:15 p.m. EST. Sponsored by Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD). Click here for more information and to register.
General CAT Meeting is April 2nd - PLEASE NOTE: new time 11:30 - 1:00 p.m., bring a sack lunch, drinks will be provided - at Cobb Sheriff's Work Release Center.
Volunteers Needed for Team Meetings - Please see dates/times on calendar and plan to attend one of these meetings. Feel free to bring a friend, more volunteers are needed to help plan for April Alcohol Awareness Month! These team meetings are where the action is - all are welcomed.
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In The News
Survey Shows Continuing Downward Trend in Underage Drinking
According to data from the national Monitoring the Future study, the percentage of 8th graders reporting past month use of alcohol reached a record low in 2012. Approximately one-tenth (11%) of 8th graders reported drinking at least one sip of alcohol in the past month in 2012, compared to the peak prevalence of 26% in 1996. Read more . . .
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About Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is an alliance of individuals and organizations which mobilizes and challenges Cobb County adults to reduce underage drinking and youth binge drinking, by advancing strategic enforcement, policy and education goals.
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Contact Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce3162 Johnson Ferry Rd., S-260 |
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