AUGUST NEWSLETTER 

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SAPCA Members,  
  



 

Sincerely,
  
Noraine


 

IN THIS ISSUE

* Alexandria Teens Enjoy Alcohol-Free Teen Night at Cora Kelly Recreation Center
* SAPCA and ACAP Host Another Successful Youth Leadership Conference
* Recovery Month Celebration (9/16)
* Prescription Drug Take Back Day (9/26)
* Project Sticker Shock (10/31)
* Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Calendar
* Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Community Meeting (9/29)
* Cities Across U.S. See Rise in Synthetic Marijuana Overdoses
* More Than 4 Million Americans Admit to Driving While Intoxicated in Past Month
* Edible Marijuana Products in Colorado Would Have Stop Sign Under Proposed Rules

SAPCA'S EVENTS

Alexandria Teens Enjoy Alcohol-Free Teen Night at Cora Kelly Recreation Center


SAPCA's Above the Influence Club partnered with the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy's Keepit360 Club to host another Titan Takeover Teen Night at the Cora Kelly Recreation Center on August 14.  Teen volunteers arrived early to set up for the night and welcomed their friends and peers to event. Over eighty teens enjoyed free food from Chipotle, a candy station, a photo booth, dancing, karaoke, video games and lots of prizes and giveaways.

SAPCA and ACAP Host Another Successful Youth Leadership Conference 



More than 20 Alexandria youth participated in the fourth annual Youth Leadership Conference held August 17-19 at First Baptist Church of Alexandria.  Youth learned from leaders representing the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Workshops included Leadership 101, Resume Writing, Conflict Resolution, Professionalism and Networking, Becoming a Community Change Maker, Teamwork and Critical Thinking, and Budgeting & Money Management.  

Local boards, commissions and community organizations were invited to meet youth leaders in a networking session. Representatives from the Public Health Advisory Commission, the ACPS Board, the Teen Wellness Center, Inspire Virginia, the Children Youth & Families Collaborative Commission, Gang Prevention and Intervention Task Force, Office of Youth Services Youth Council and Project Discovery connected with youth eager to become more civically engaged. SAPCA and the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy sponsored the conference.  Youth attendees reported learning a great deal, and comments included :

"I learned about conflict resolution, which will be helpful to me for the rest of my life."- written to Captain Chris Piercy and Diamond Royster, Northern Virginia Mediation Services.

"Your speech about getting involved was inspiring and eye opening. Your passion for the things you believe in was well placed and made things easier to understand." - written to Joyce Rawlings, Community Activist.

 "I enjoyed your story and presentation. It inspired me to take initiative instead of being told what to do." - written to Tammy Ignacio, Chief Officer for Alexandria City Public Schools.

"One thing I learned is that it is ok to make a change in your community and be the bigger person." - written to John Porter, Director of ACT for Alexandria.


UPCOMING EVENTS

Recovery Month Celebration (9/16)

  

Prescription Drug Take Back Day (9/26)

  


 

Project Sticker Shock Kick-off (10/31)

  


 

UPCOMING PARTNERS' EVENTS

Check out the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria and 
Act for Alexandria's Community Calendars for fun events!
Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Community Meeting (9/29)
 
Please join Partnership members, community leaders and community members in a discussion about how everyone can take action to improve the health and well-being of the Alexandria community.  This meeting will focus on the implementation of Alexandria's Community Health Improvement Plan achievements to date and the work the community need to do. This community plan embraces the idea that the health and well-being of everyone in our community depends on more than just access to health care and prevention, treatment, and wellness programs. It includes many social and economic issues such as access to healthy food, stable and affordable housing, employment and job training, transportation options, recreation, trails parks and open space opportunities and public safety.

This meeting is an opportunity to learn, share, network and identify next steps in continuing to make Alexandria a great place to live, work, and play.
 
The Partnership is excited to announce our Guest Speaker: Mr. Jay Blackwell, Director of Capacity Building, Resource Center, Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
 
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 8:15 am to 11:00am
            Networking with refreshments will begin at 8:00am

Where: Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services. Multipurpose Room, 2525 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22303
If you would like more information or have questions about this meeting, please contact the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria   at healthieralexandria@alexandriava.gov .

Please Note: Representatives of organizations attending this community meeting are invited to bring their organization's information and event materials for dissemination. 

NATIONAL NEWS

Cities Across U.S. See Rise in Synthetic Marijuana Overdoses

Officials in cities across the United States are reporting a rise in overdoses related to synthetic marijuana, CNN reports. Police chiefs meeting in Washington this week said they need field tests to help them quickly determine whether suspects have taken the drug.
Synthetic marijuana, sold under names such as "K2," "Spice" and "Scooby Snax," is very different from marijuana, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. It is made with dried herbs and spices that are sprayed with chemicals that induce a marijuana-type high when smoked. The drug is not tested for safety, so there is no way for a person to know what chemicals they are using.

Health effects can include severe agitation and anxiety; fast, racing heartbeat and high blood pressure; nausea and vomiting; muscle spasms, seizures, and tremors; intense hallucinations and psychotic episodes; and suicidal and other harmful thoughts and/or actions.
From January 1 to August 2, 2015, poison control centers received calls about 5,008 exposures to synthetic marijuana, compared with 3,682 in all of last year.

According to a survey of 35 major city police departments, 30 percent have attributed some violent crimes to synthetic marijuana, the article notes. Overdoses in some cities are clustered in homeless populations.

The products are widely available, despite laws prohibiting them . With the passing of each regulation to control synthetic marijuana, drug manufacturers and suppliers are quickly changing the ingredients to new, non-controlled variations.

More than 4 million Americans admit they have driven while intoxicated at least once in the past month, a new government study finds. The typical drunk driver is a young male with a history of binge drinking.

About 4.2 million people-close to 2 percent of American adults-admitted to driving drunk in the prior month, HealthDay reports. Alcohol-impaired driving crashes account for about one-third of all U.S. crash deaths in the past two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are an estimated 121 million episodes of drunk driving annually, the CDC noted in its report.

The study found people in the Midwest consistently report higher alcohol-impaired driving rates than those living in other regions. Men ages 21 to 34 accounted for one-third of drunk driving episodes. Overall, men accounted for 80 percent of impaired drivers, the article notes.

The CDC researchers found 4 percent of adults are binge drinkers-men who have five or more drinks on one occasion, or women who have four or more drinks on one occasion. Binge drinkers account for nearly two-thirds of all drunk driving incidents.
People who say they sometimes do not wear a seatbelt were three times more likely to drive drunk, compared with adults who generally buckle up.

The researchers said states and communities can take steps to reduce drunk driving. These include expanding the use of publicized sobriety checkpoints; enforcing breath alcohol laws and minimum legal drinking age laws; and increasing alcohol taxes. The CDC also recommends requiring ignition interlocks, which are breath-test devices connected to a vehicle's ignition. They require a driver to exhale into the device, and prevent the engine from being started if the analyzed result exceeds a pre-programmed level for anyone convicted of alcohol-impaired driving.
Edible Marijuana Products in Colorado Would Have Stop Sign Under Proposed Rules 

Colorado officials are recommending that edible marijuana products be labeled with a red stop sign, the Associated Press reports. The state may also ban the word "candy" from edible labels.

Draft rules released this week by state marijuana regulators call for an octagon stop-sign shape with the letters "THC," indicating marijuana's psychoactive ingredient, to be placed on individual edible products.  Under the proposed rules, liquid marijuana products would be limited to single-serve packaging, with 10 milligrams of THC per serving.

The proposal would also ban premade edible items. Manufacturers would not be allowed to buy bulk candy and spray it with cannabis oil. Cartoon characters are already banned from marijuana edibles packaging. The state has also prohibited manufacturers from making "look-alike" products such as candies.

A 2014 law requires edible marijuana to have a distinct look when outside its packaging. The law will be implemented starting in January.

Edible marijuana products have become a popular alternative to smoking marijuana in Colorado, since retail sales of the products became legal. Adults 21 and over can legally purchase marijuana edibles at state-licensed stores. Marijuana is now available in products ranging from candy to soda and granola. The amount of marijuana in edible products varies widely. In some cases, products contain levels so high that people experience extreme paranoia and anxiety.

CONTACT INFO

Noraine Buttar, MPH
421 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.3670 (office)
703.887.8812 (mobile)
noraine.buttar@alexandriava.gov