Community

Take Back MedicineOn September 29, 2012, DEA will coordinate a collaborative effort with state and local law enforcement agencies to remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from our nation’s medicine cabinets. Collection activities will take place from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. at sites established throughout the country. The National Take-Back Day provides an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction. These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety. Visit www.dea.gov for more information on next year’s event.This one-day effort is intended to bring national focus to the issue of increasing pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse.

The program is anonymous.
Prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications, i.e. tablets and capsules accepted.
Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and needles will not be accepted.
Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.

Lock Your MedicinesProper disposal of Prescription Drugs

Federal Guidelines:
Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs you to do so. For information on drugs that should be flushed visit the FDA’s website. To dispose of prescription drugs not labeled to be flushed, you may be able to take advantage of community drug take‐back programs or other programs, such as household hazardous waste collection events, that collect drugs at a central location for proper disposal. Call your city or county government’s household trash and recycling service and ask if a drug take‐back program is available in your community.If a drug take‐back or collection program is not available:

Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.

CASA’s Family DayMore than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. Family Day reminds parents that Dinner Makes A Difference! Family Day 2012 is celebrated nationwide on Monday, September 24th!

Visit www.casafamilyday.org for more information about next year’s event.

Jamestown Drug and Alcohol Prevention Partners (JDAP)JDAPP is a Jamestown community coalition established to reduce underage drinking within the Jamestown community. JDAPP’s mission is to equip children and families of Jamestown with resources and skills to make positive choices and responsible decisions about drug and alcohol use. The coalition consists of individuals from the community representing the following sectors: youth (students), parents, business owners, school district personnel and administration, enforcement, media, youth service organization, civic or volunteer groups, religious organization, health care professionals and the local agency with expertise in the field of substance abuse.

Service definition: All teachers in the Jamestown Area School District were trained to become facilitators of Too Good for Drugs or Class Action. The programs were implemented in the 2009-2010 school year and will continue throughout the upcoming years. All students receive Too Good for Drugs in Grades K to 8 and Class Action in Grade 10.JDAPP also provides the Parent to Parent program in the community. Parent to Parent is a locally presented workshop which gives a parent or caregiver the knowledge and skills necessary to help your child achieve a safe passage into adulthood. It is designed to allow parents to share their experiences and wisdom with one another. Parent to Parent topics include:

Communication
Family Guidelines
Expectations
Family Discussions
Parenting Tips
Character and Value
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention and Information
Parenting Discussion

JDAPP has also implemented a Positive Community Norms (PCN) process in both the Jamestown community and school district. PCN is founded on the philosophy of The Science of the Positive. It employs methods of health communications and social marketing through various campaigns. When applied to the issue of reducing youth alcohol use, the focus of PCN campaigns are to challenge people’s commonly held perceptions about their environment and the behavior of the peers, as well as the beliefs about how problems like underage drinking should be confronted.

How to obtain services: Anyone with a vested interest in Jamestown such as; being a business owner, having a summer home at the State Park, being a grandparent of a Jamestown student, or live within the school district can obtain services. To do so, please email jdapp@zoominternet.net.

How are services delivered/provided: School district programming is provided throughout the school year and facilitated by the school staff. All other programming is provided by the JDAPP coalition.

Contact Information:
jdapp@zoominternet.net
jeff.hanley@mercercountybhc.org
724-662-1550, ext. 125