New Resources for Parents, Educators, and Youth Leaders to Prevent Youth Opioid Misuse
April 1, 2021, Griswold, CT — Today, Griswold PRIDE and Matt’s Mission launched the “Opioid Prevention Campaign” in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum. The Campaign provides resources for parents and educators to prevent youth opioid misuse. With the rise in overdoses and mental health disorders since the start of the pandemic, the campaign comes at a critical moment in time.
The opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives every year, and experts are increasingly worried about alarming trends among youth who are an often overlooked group in the opioid crisis despite suffering some of its sharpest consequences. The Opioid Prevention Campaign provides evidence-based explainer videos, social media content, workbooks and fact sheets to help prevent substance use disorders among adolescents.
“This Campaign will be a valuable tool for our community, especially during this risky time. We pride ourselves on being a hub of information for the community. It’s important to us that we educate our residents about opioids and medication safety, and provide tools to other key stakeholders and organizations to do the same,” states Miranda Mahoney, of Griswold PRIDE.
Kathleen Dufficy, President of Matt’s Mission, agrees and states, “Drug education is the key and it should start in our homes, schools, and communities. Addiction can touch anyone, we need to talk openly about the problem, and provide the resources and tools to our youth that will increase their awareness of the risks associated with drug use.”
“The Opioid Prevention Campaign aims to prevent substance use disorders by providing flexible tools to adults – from parents and caregivers, to teachers and youth group leaders,” explains Jessica Hulsey at Addiction Policy Forum. “We can prevent addiction among adolescents and make the science and needed tools more readily available for communities.”
The Campaign launch was specifically targeted to coincide with the DEA’s 20th Drug Take Back Day, happening on April 24th. Griswold PRIDE, CT State Police, and Matt’s Mission will be participating. Last October’s event resulted in 243 pounds of medications collected for safe disposal, the most ever since Griswold started hosting these in 2015.
These events are now more important than ever, as families have found themselves at home more this past year. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs coming from family and friends, including home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
Campaign materials can be accessed at www.griswoldpride.org/opioid-prevention-toolkit/
or by visiting Addiction Policy Forum’s website (www.addictionpolicy.org) and its social media channels. The content was developed in collaboration with educators, parents, pastors, coaches, youths, and experts in adolescent medicine and prevention and with funding support from the Amerisource Bergen Foundation.
Learn more about the DEA Drug Take Back event at www.deatakeback.com, or by calling 800-882-9539. Griswold event: 4/24/21, 10am-2pm, Griswold Town Hall, 28 Main St.
About Griswold PRIDE
PRIDE is a community coalition created to work collaboratively to reduce and prevent underage drinking and substance use and their impact on the community. PRIDE utilizes a data driven approach to identify evidence-based strategies to create community change.
Community coalitions connect multiple sectors of the community, including businesses, parents, media, law enforcement, schools, faith organizations, health providers, social service agencies, and the government. By acting in concert through the coalition, all of the partners gain a more complete understanding of the community’s problems. Together, the partners organize and develop plans and programs to coordinate their anti-drug efforts. The result is a comprehensive, community-wide approach to substance abuse and its related problems.
PRIDE is a recipient of a federal Drug Free Communities Grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for which Community Health Resources (CHR) serves as fiscal agent.
The mission of Griswold PRIDE is “To unite the citizens of Griswold in a partnership to create and foster a safe, drug-free environment for the entire community by preventing youth substance use and reducing adult substance abuse”.
About Matt’s Mission
Matt’s Mission is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The growing epidemic of addiction is no secret and it is time to start making some changes. Matt’s Mission is not only a tribute to Matthew P. Barrett, our loved one, but also in memory of all who lost their lives to addiction.
We seek to connect individuals battling an addiction to medical care, treatment, and services without shame, blame or arrest. It is an effort to help end the stigma of drug addiction and to raise awareness of addiction as a disease focusing on treatment, not punishment. All our members are volunteers and committed to ending the stigma associated with addiction, providing education on substance use disorders, and assisting individuals on their road to recovery. Our current attitude, our current way of dealing with this issue is obviously not working in light of the rising drug-related deaths.
Our mission is to end the stigma of drug addiction and to provide awareness of addiction as a disease, focusing on treatment, not punishment.
About Addiction Policy Forum Addiction Policy Forum is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating addiction as a major health problem. Our national headquarters are located in Washington, DC with resources and services in every state. More information on our mission and projects is available at our website, https://www.addictionpolicy.org