Prescription Drug Safety
The Coalition has been active in promoting prescription drug safety in our community. We partnered with Coalition member Richard Glotzer, Drug Mart of Millwood, and other local pharmacies to distribute handouts educating community members about the need for prescription drug safety and proper drug disposal method. We also prepared an insert to accompany the annual water quality mailing sent to all New Castle households.
TIPS training and Compliance Checks
Together with the Town of New Castle Police Department and Coalition member Chief Charles Ferry, the Coalition has worked to bring TIPS® (Training for Intervention ProcedureS), the skills based program of education and training for the responsible service, sale, and consumption of alcohol designed to prevent intoxication, underage drinking, and drunk driving, to the twenty one commercial establishments in the Town of New Castle that sell alcohol. In November 2017 the Police Department’s Alcohol Compliance Unit conducted compliance checks at seventeen licensed establishments to ensure that they were acting responsibly and following state alcohol and service laws. All seventeen establishments passed.
4/20 Bookmark Campaign
Working with Coalition member Carolyn D’Agostino and her S.A.D.D. club students, the Coalition has sponsored the printing of a set of four book marks designed to educate youth about marijuana truths through humor. The bookmarks were distributed by the students at Horace Greeley High School and available in the Teen Zone of the Chappaqua Library as part of a Coalition 4/20 Day campaign. The S.A.D.D. club is working with the Coalition to plan a 2018 4/20 Day campaign.
Parent Presentations
The Coalition has continued its work in the area of parent education. In January 2017, the Coalition sponsored “Marijuana and Adolescents – An Update” featuring information about research on marijuana’s impact on the adolescent brain, current trends in marijuana use and New York State’s medical marijuana program. In April 2017, the Coalition partnered with Horace Greeley High School to bring a mandatory program for seniors and their parents entitled “What Every Parent and Senior Should Know About Prom, Parties, and Potential Problems” which included essential information about the potential health and legal consequences of underage drinking and substance use. In October 2017 the Coalition brought Ty Sells to talk to parents about keeping the lines of communication open and about the prevention messages he shared with students. In January, 2018, the Coalition partnered with the schools and Northern Westchester Hospital Center to educate parents about vaping.