Category Archives: MCAP – Medfeild Cares About Prevention

MCAP gets $625K Federal grant

Posted on October 30, 2019 | 1 comment

MCAP Logo with URL_1C_300

Chelsea Goldstein-WalshChelsea Goldstein-Walsh, Interim Director of Medfield Youth Outreach announced this afternoon that Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) (www.MedfieldCares.org) was today awarded a Drug-Free Communities grant of $625,000, to fund a Substance Use Prevention Coordinator who will run MCAP’s  prevention efforts.  The Federal grant will pay MCAP $125,000 per year for five years,  with the hope that the Substance Use Prevention Coordinator position will become permanent after five years.  About 150 DFC grants nation wide were awarded this year.  Towns that have received past DFC grants have seen a statistical decrease is substance abuse.

Medfield Youth Outreach, first through Dawn Alcott and now Chelsea, initiated, oversee, and manage the MCAP coalition.  MCAP had come exceedingly close to getting the Federal grant in prior years it applied. 

This year, however, MCAP had the added benefit of having received a $5,000 grant from the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s 2018 inaugural round of grants, which monies MCAP used to hire a grant writer, thereby parlaying the Legacy Fund grant into the $625,000 of benefit for the Town of Medfield. 

 

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The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund is an endowment, created and being funded to make life better in Medfield.

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Above photo was from the inaugural Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund grant awards celebration. From L to R are Todd Trehubenko, Christian Donner of the Medfield Rail Trail, Dawn Alcott of MCAP, Jean Mineo of the Cultural Alliance, and Chris Cahill (Todd and Chris are the Co-chairs of the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s Community Board).

 

The following was Chelsea’s email announcing her good news to MCAP –

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I am happy to report that Medfield Cares About Prevention was selected as one of the Drug-Free Communities grant recipients for this funding cycle! Our town will receive $125,000 a year for 5 years ($625,000 total) to implement prevention strategies aimed at reducing youth substance use. You can see the list of recipients here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/FY-2019-DFC-New-Grant-Award-Recipients-10.29.2019.pdf

Thank you all for your hard work in making our grant application a success! Our next step is to solidify the hiring process for a full-time coalition coordinator with the grant funding to help us implement this work. Our next MCAP meeting on Monday, November 4th at 11:30 am will largely be dedicated to coming up with a hiring plan. I’ve attached a copy of the job description for the coalition coordinator for your reference.

Congratulations to you all for this successful team effort!

Warmly,

Chelsea

Medfield Youth Outreach

 

 

 

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Posted in Federal Government, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Medfield Foundation, Medfield Youth Outreach, Safety, Teens

Help in dealing with the shootings

Posted on August 7, 2019 | Leave a comment

Received this afternoon from Carol Read, who appeared to get it from Larry Berkowitz, Director of the Riverside Trauma Center, who is also a frequent lecturer in town for the Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention –

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Trauma response resources: (1) ChildMind Institute (2) Riverside Trauma Center

Child Mind Institute:

 https://childmind.org/about-us/  Child Mind homepage

https://childmind.org/guide/helping-children-cope-traumatic-event/ Guide to Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event, PDF attached

 

 riverside-community-care

Riverside Trauma Center: Children and trauma, resource links, article, attached and post from Larry Berkowitz, Director, copied below.

https://riversidetraumacenter.org/  Trauma Center homepage

https://riversidetraumacenter.org/trauma-center-resources/  Resources, talking to children, youth and adolescents, coping strategies and practicing self-care after traumatic events.  Talking with children…PDF attached

 

Larry Berkowitz

Yesterday at 6:41 AM

One again we are confronted by the horror and tragedy of mass killing… See More Below

One again we are confronted by the horror and tragedy of mass killings. The news from Ohio and Texas leads to a wide range of reactions: fear, anger, sadness, distress, confusion, disgust, to name just a few emotions. But it is not just emotions- our reactions take on many forms including recurrent thoughts about the events, shattered assumptions about our safety, concentration difficulties, bodily reactions such as feeling exhausted or whatever our “usual” somatic reactions are. For people who have been directly impacted by violence, we know their reactions may be more pronounced, and we have many resources on our website that we hope people will find helpful and suggestions on how to talk with children about these awful events. http://riversidetraumacenter.org/trauma-center-resources/

My greatest concern in these past two days has been the frequency with which I’ve heard people say “we’re not safe anywhere” or “this is the new normal.” I strongly believe we must reject the attitude that we live a new normal, as that implies a sense of learned helplessness, a conviction that nothing can be done. While we may feel vulnerable, we are certainly not helpless. I urge each of us to take personal responsibility for taking some action in response to these latest mass killings. Use your voice! Write a letter, write an email, make phone calls, use social media, contact your local, state and national representatives and express your opinion and concerns, whatever they may be. I am reminded of Margaret Mead’s oft cited quote, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

 

In peace,

Larry Berkowitz

Director, Riverside Trauma Center

Riverside Trauma Center www.riversidetraumacenter.org Talking with Your Children About Traumatic Events Here are some tips for talking with your children when they have witnessed or heard about traumatic events: Listen to your children: Ask your children what they have heard about the traumatic event. What do they think happened? Let them tell you in their own words and answer their questions. Do not assume you know what they are feeling or what their questions will be. The easiest way to have this conversation might be while they are engaged in an activity: drawing, sitting on a swing, or driving with you in the car. Details that may be obvious to adults may not be to children. Be truthful, but don’t tell them more information than they can handle for their age. Focus on their safety: Once you understand their perception of the traumatic event, be clear that you will keep them safe and let them know adults (school, police, etc.) are working hard to make sure they will stay safe. Pay attention to your reactions: Your children will be watching you carefully and taking their cues from you. If you can manage your anxiety about the traumatic event, your children will be more easily reassured. Monitor your child’s access to media: It will help if young children do not watch news reports or see the front page of the newspaper. Young children who watch a traumatic event on the TV news may think the event is still ongoing or happening again. Watch for behavior changes: Your children may show you through their behavior that they are still struggling with what they have heard or seen. They may have physical complaints or regressive behaviors often including nightmares, insomnia, or bedwetting. They may feel guilty that they are responsible for the event, and need to be reassured that they are not responsible. Maintain your routines: Sticking to your daily structure of activities—mealtimes, bedtime rituals, etc.—reduces anxiety and helps children feel more in control. Keep the door open: Encourage your children to come to you with any questions or concerns and do not assume the questions will stop after a few days or even a few weeks. Let them know their fears and questions are normal and you will always make time for them. Remind them all questions are welcome. Consider this a teachable moment: For older children, this traumatic event may lead to a discussion about ways they can help others who have experienced a tragedy. You can also ask them if they know how to keep themselves safe when they are away from home. Traumatic events make us feel like we have lost control, so any constructive activities we engage in make us feel less vulnerable.

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Posted in Children, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, MCSP - Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Safety

e-cigarettes – health risks for teens

Posted on March 6, 2019 | Leave a comment

From my American Association for Justice morning newsletter –

juul

E-cigarettes may pose health risks, especially for minors.

Business Insider (3/5, Brodwin, 4.07M) reports that e-cigarettes “are not without health risks,” and since “they contain nicotine, e-cigarettes are especially dangerous for kids and teens whose brains are still developing.” Specifically “in young people, nicotine appears to blunt emotional control as well as decision-making and impulse-regulation skills,” which “most likely helped prompt a warning about e-cigs from the US surgeon general in December.” In that public advisory, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams “discussed these concerns and said young people should never use e-cigs.” He said, “We need to protect our kids from all tobacco products, including all shapes and sizes of e-cigarettes.” The article adds that some e-cigarettes “appear to contain toxic metals, and using them has been tied to an increased risk of a heart attack.” Experts “say there’s a lot we still don’t know about” vaping “and how it could affect the body.”

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Posted in health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Teens

MCAP working on grant language

Posted on January 24, 2019 | Leave a comment

Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) received one of the three Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund inaugural grants, one for $5,000, which MCAP will use to hire a grant writer so as to apply for the $625K five year federal grant ($125K/year) for substance abuse prevention staffing in town.

I represent the town government sector at MCAP, and at our meeting a week from tomorrow I will be trying to write that sector’s DFC grant action plan with Amanda Decker of Bright Solutions.  Below is part of what Dedham included in its grant application, which was taken from the grant language itself. Here is a link to the PDF:

https://prevention.nd.gov/sites/default/files/CADCA%207%20Strategies%20for%20Strategic%20Planning.pdf

If anyone wants to share their ideas, they would be welcome.

1 CADCA’s National Coalition Institute Seven Strategies for Creating Effective Community Change1 Identifying a comprehensive selection of evidence-based substance abuse prevention strategies/interventions is vital to implementing effective substance abuse prevention efforts in your community leading to positive change. It is equally vital to implement each of the evidence-based strategies/interventions you select in the most comprehensive manner possible. CADCA’s Seven Strategies for Creating Effective Community Change can assist your coalition or planning group with identifying appropriate and timely action steps to include in a comprehensive action plan for strategy/intervention implementation. 1. Providing Information Educational presentations, workshops or seminars or other presentations of data (e.g., public announcements, brochures, dissemination, billboards, community meetings, forums, web-based communication). 2. Enhancing Skills Workshops, seminars or other activities designed to increase the skills of participants, members and staff needed to achieve population level outcomes (e.g., training, technical assistance, distance learning, strategic planning retreats, curricula development). 3. Providing Support for Prevention Activities Creating opportunities to support people to participate in activities/strategies that reduce risk or enhance protection. 4. Enhancing Access/Reducing Barriers Improving systems and processes to increase the ease, ability and opportunity to utilize those systems and services (e.g., assuring healthcare, childcare, transportation, housing, justice, education, safety, special needs, cultural and language sensitivity). This can include identifying barriers and possible strategies to overcome. 5. Changing Consequences (Incentives/Disincentives) Increasing or decreasing the probability of a specific behavior that reduces risk or enhances protection by altering the consequences for performing that behavior (e.g., increasing public recognition for deserved behavior, individual and business rewards, taxes, citations, fines, revocations/loss of privileges). 6. Changing Physical Design/Making Environmental Changes Changing the physical design or structure of the environment to reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g., parks, landscapes, signage, lighting, outlet density). 7. Modifying/Changing/Developing Policies Formal change in written procedures, by-laws, proclamations, rules or laws with written documentation and/or voting procedures (e.g., workplace initiatives, law enforcement procedures and practices, public policy actions, systems change within government, communities and organizations). 1 Defining CADCA’s Seven Strategies for Community Change. Retrieved from: \nd.govdhsStateOfficeDHSDF-MHSAProgramsAOD__PreventionTechnical AssistanceSevenStrategies4CommunityChange (1).pdf

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Posted in MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention

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MCAP’s “Partners in Prevention” at Library 1/12

Annette Anderson, RPh, a Medfield CVS pharmacist, routinely educates parents, youth, and senior citizens about the safe use of prescription medication and provides vital information to consider as a patient. Using the CVS Health “Prescription for Parents” curriculum, she will share information about the effects of prescription drugs on the body and brain, the science behind addiction, resources available for those who need treatment, and how to feel comfortable having a discussion with your children about safe use. This training is free for all adults and is sponsored by Medfield Cares About Prevention. For more information about this community coalition, please visit MedfieldCares.org RSVP is not required but is appreciated: https://bit.ly/2CNUtau Questions? Contact Medfield Youth Outreach at medfieldyouthoutreach@medfield.net Prescription for Parents: A CVS Presentation A joint partnership of Medfield Cares About Prevention and Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention PARTNERS IN PREVENTION PARENT TRAINING SERIES: JANUARY 2019 Saturday, January 12, 2019 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Medfield Public Library 468 Main Street Medfield, MA 02052

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Posted on January 7, 2019 in Children, Events, health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, MCSP - Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Medfield Youth Outreach

See the movie 9/26

Posted on September 14, 2018 | 3 comments

Suicide The Ripple Effect

 

Look for both the Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) and Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) at shared booths tomorrow at Medfield Day on Frairy Street.

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Posted in health, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, MCSP - Medfield Coalition for Suicide Prevention

Mass AG investigates vaping company

Posted on July 25, 2018 | Leave a comment

From my American Association for Justice daily e-newsletter –

juul

Massachusetts AG investigating whether Juul Labs took adequate steps to prevent sales to minors.

Reuters (7/24, Raymond) reports Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said at a press briefing that her office has opened an investigation into Juul Labs Inc. and online retailers Direct Eliquid LLC and Eonsmoke LLC to determine if they broke state law by “failing to prevent minors from buying their products.” The investigation intends to evaluate the effectiveness of Juul underage sales prevention efforts and what it does, “if anything” to stop its products from being sold by online retailers without age verification. The office said it was sending cease-and-desist letters to the online retailers to stop sales of Juul and e-cigarettes to Massachusetts residents “without adequate age verification systems.”

CNBC (7/24, LaVito, 4.81M) reports Healey said, “I want to be clear with the public. This isn’t about getting adults to stop smoking cigarettes. This is about getting kids to start vaping. That’s what these companies are up to. They’re engaged in an effort to get kids addicted, get them hooked so they will have customers for the rest of their lives.” Healey’s office will investigate whether the Massachusetts consumer protection statute or state e-cigarette regulations were violated.

The Hill (7/24, Wheeler, 2.71M) reports Healey “said Tuesday morning her office has sent Juul Labs subpoenas for information.” The Verge (7/24, Becker, 1.55M) reports the investigation is part of “a statewide push to end youth vaping and nicotine addiction.”

Also reporting are the Associated Press (7/24), Boston Globe (7/24, Campbell, 945K), and the Springfield (MA) Republican (7/24, 412K).

 

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Posted in Children, health, Marijuana, MCAP - Medfeild Cares About Prevention, Uncategorized