Your Weekly News & Updates |
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Please share!
Contact Dawn Fawcett- admin@wctcoalition.org
to be added to our email list.
Be well and stay safe.
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QUEEN LATIFAH Hosts #Act4Impact Benefit
Join QUEEN LATIFAH for a star-studded livestream benefit, nationally presented by CVS Health. Through this first-of-its kind event, our goal is to raise funds for the American Lung Association’s COVID-19 Action Initiative to provide public health education and advocacy to communities of color and help protect against current and future threats of COVID-19 and respiratory viruses.
Click here for more information
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Saturday, September 26
at 7 p.m. ET
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Zoom Exhaustion is Real. Here Are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected
If you’re finding that you’re more exhausted at the end of your workday than you used to be, you’re not alone. Over the past few weeks, mentions of “Zoom fatigue” have popped up more and more on social media, and Google searches for the same phrase have steadily increased since early March.
Why do we find video calls so draining? There are a few reasons....
(Click here to read the full article- you will enjoy the humor!)
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Why We Conduct This Count
The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and your community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.
The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
It's also in the Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.
Click here to respond (by September 30th) and please share
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Regional Opioid Prevention Policy Workgroup Update |
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Benzodiazepine Awareness
In 2019, we lost 1,200 people to an accidental drug overdose death here in Connecticut. In 25% of those deaths, a benzodiazepine was involved. According to Psychology Today, "benzo" prescribing rates are climbing to disturbing new levels. They reported that according the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 2014-2016, benzodiazepines were prescribed in 66 million doctors’ appointments annually or to 27 out of every 100 patients. Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat conditions like anxiety or sleeplessness; examples include Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin.
The CT Department of Consumer Protection collects and shares data related to Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). This graph shows the top 5 controlled substance prescriptions during 2018. 3 out of the 5 are a benzodiazepine. The numbers are telling. To review more CT PMP statistics, click here.
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"The Dangers of Taking Benzodiazepines as Prescribed"
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Additional Risks with Benzos:
- There is an illicit market for these medications; for example counterfeit Xanax "bars". These fakes can be mixed with fentanyl, a potent opioid, which increases risk of overdose
- Benzos and alcohol are a dangerous combination resulting in enhanced effects of both substances, reduced cognition, and increased risk of overdose
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Sources: DEA, SAMHSA, Psychology Uoday, CT DCP |
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Save a Life
Space is available for our 9/29 Narcan Training Webinar.
Register today!
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Drug Free Schools Committee
Resources for Parents and Families
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What is Social Emotional Learning?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to:
- understand and manage emotions
- set and achieve positive goals
- feel and show empathy for others
- establish and maintain positive relationships
- make responsible decisions.
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CASEL’s Widely Used Framework Identifies
Five Core Competencies:
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Many of our area schools have recognized the value of this evidence-based, holistic approach to learning, and are teaching these skills
in the classroom.
To learn more, visit CASEL- Collaborative for Academic, Social,
and Emotional Learning
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Click here to register for this free webinar
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Support and connections are critical for those living with a serious mental illness (SMI). Learn from people with lived experience how their support systems and connections help them manage their major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. To learn more about serious mental illness, and the possibility of recovery, visit samhsa.gov/serious-mental-illness or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for 24/7 free and confidential information and treatment referral.
Treatment for Serious Mental Illness
from people living with mental illness
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Region 5 Suicide Advisory Board Update |
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The Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board recently released the
At the CTSAB September meeting during Suicide Prevention Week, the following CT data was presented by:
Michael Makowski, MPH
Injury and Violence Surveillance Unit
Community, Family Health and Prevention Section
Connecticut Department of Public Health
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QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Webinar Training.
We have openings for this Friday the 25th.
Please join us!
This training helps empower all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know
Suicide Prevention is everyone's business.
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QPR Training Webinar for Treatment Providers: |
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9-8-8 News
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the bipartisan
S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, yesterday.
This bill is an important step to making 9-8-8, a nationwide three-digit dialing code for mental health crises and suicide prevention, operational.
It passed the Senate earlier this year and will now go to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
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If you’re feeling alone and struggling, you can reach out the CrisisText Line by texting CT to 741-741 or
the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK.
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Building Strong Coalitions
CADCA, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, offers great resources and tools to help coalitions as they work with the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). The SPF is a process consisting of five steps and two guiding principles that offer prevention planners a comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing the substance misuse and related behavioral health problems facing their communities. (SAMHSA)
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At our LPC Leadership earlier this month, we shared ideas on how to build membership, an important piece of the SPF element "Capacity"- what resources do we need to address the issues identified in our community?
Our inspiration came from the CADCA Primer "Capacity: Building Coalition Membership, Structure, and Leadership".
Important concepts highlighted within this primer include:
- Members are your most important resource
- Everything that happens in your coalition occurs because of the people involved
- Members link the coalition to other organizations and stakeholder groups in the community
CADCA has developed a primer for each element of the SPF. Click here to view and download
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12 Sectors
Engaging with, and recruiting from, a minimum of these 12 sectors will provide unique perspectives and connections to resources within in the community
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Graphic courtesy of the Drug Free Communities federal grant program housed within the Office of National Drug Control Policy |
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Problem Gambling Awareness |
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We would like to congratulate Greg Simpson and Stephen Matos, members of our Region 5 Problem Gambling Awareness Team (PGAT) who recently achieved their Certificate of Competency in Problem Gambling.
This is awarded by our partners at DMHAS Problem Gambling Services to those who participate in 25 hours of gambling specific trainings, webinars, or conferences.
To find out more about our PGAT or how to obtain this certification, contact Kathy Hanley khanley@wctcoalition.org
203-743-7741
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