Events

Caribbean Carnival 2012

This week at the State Capitol, Rep. Dave Heaton (R -Mt. Pleasant) met with a group from the Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition. Pictured left to right are: Jennifer Lehman, Erin Watt, Rebecca Lehman, Rep. Heaton, and Taylor Beatty

Photo: Above Left: Vigil attendees were invited to write words of encouragement on the labyrinth to those who are in recovery or who have lost loved ones to drug and alcohol abuse.

Photo: Above Right: The evening concluded in candlelight as a sign of promise and hope for the future.

Photo: Lower: Mt. Pleasant senior, Tanner Stutzman, sang two songs for those who attended the vigil. He sang "Let it Fade" and a song he wrote and composed himself, "Lord, You're All I Need".

The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition hosted this vigil Thursday, September 15th at McMillan because September is National Recovery Month.

The Vigil for Lost Promise is a ceremony held annually in Mt. Pleasant to remember those who have died from drugs and alcohol and to celebrate those in recovery. It is a time to come together to remember that "Too many lives which held so much promise have been lost to drugs and alcohol. Too many families and friends have suffered these losses, and our world is less rich because the flame of talent was extinguished long before its promise burned bright." The ceremony includes guest speakers, community resource information displays, memory wall, wall of fame, and a candle lighting ceremony. This event is well attended and something the Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition looks forward to putting on each year.

The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition hosted The Road Ahead Conference on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011. The conference's theme was "Responding to Today's Issues That Affect Youth and Families". The conference was well attended by professionals from counties across the state of Iowa. The featured speakers were experts in their fields. They presented a wealth of information, with topics varying from micro-inequities to abuse of legal drugs. Attendees were able to obtain continuing education hours that were in the alcohol and drug specific category.

The following documents are resources from the Iowa Collaboration For Youth Development:

• ICYD State Programs & Resources (PDF)
• ICYD "Collaboration is Messy" (PDF)
• ICYD Annual Report (PDF)

On Monday, January 24th, two Mt. Pleasant High School students had the opportunity to attend the Underage Drinking Prevention Day on the Hill at the Iowa State Capitol.

Rebecca Lehman and Taylor Beatty were able to visit with, and educate, Senator Fraise and Representative Heaton about the benefits of a state-wide Social Host Liability law. A Social Host law would address enforcement and prosecution problems where persons provide alcohol to minors or knowingly permit or allow underage drinkers to consume alcohol on their property. Such a law makes it harder of young people to get alcohol, which also assists in preventing alcohol-related crashes or injuries.

Currently, the city of Mt. Pleasant has a Social Host ordinance which allows for adults to be fined $250 for providing alcohol to minors in a first offense, and $500 in a second offense. Shortly after Mt. Pleasant passed their ordinance, the Henry County Board of Supervisors passed an identical ordinance. Unfortunately, there are many communities and counties in the state of Iowa where there are no such penalties and youth have access to alcohol through the provision of adults.

The event was organized by the Alliance of Coalitions for Change (AC4C). The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition is a member of AC4C. Senator Fraise and Representative Heaton both indicated support if such a bill were to come up for a vote at the state level.

The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition, partnered with the Henry County Sheriff's Office, Public Health and Healthy Henry County Communities sponsored its second Operation Drug Drop Off Event. The Drop Off event was held on Saturday, November 13 at the Wright Pavilion. This event was held to aid county residents with safe disposal of their unused/unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications.

138 pounds of prescription and over the counter medicines were collected at this event. These medicines will be transported to the Resource Recovery Plant, in Ames where they will be incinerated. Many area residents who dropped off their medications expressed their appreciation. Participants also stressed the ongoing need for this type of service.

Prior to Operation Drug Drop Off, the Coalition spent time educating the community about the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among teens and young adults. Flyers containing information about prescription drug abuse and the drop off event were sent home with all Henry County public school students. Flyers were also displayed throughout the county. Jennifer Lehman, Drug Free Communities Coordinator, spoke on KILJ's breakfast club and recorded several PSA's to be aired at later dates to promote the upcoming event. Advertisements about the event were also printed in The Mt. Pleasant News.

Abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs is being called "the newest and fastest growing form of substance abuse by Iowans." That's according to the 2011 Iowa's Drug Control Strategy report. Some may ask, "What is Prescription Drug Abuse?" As stated in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report, "Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, there has been an increase in the nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs in the United States."

There are many prescription drugs that are abused. There are three classes of the most commonly abused prescription drugs: Opiods, which are prescribed to treat pain; Central nervous system (CNS) depressants, used to treat people with anxiety or sleep disorders; Stimulants, used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the sleep disorder narcolepsy.

Operation Drug Drop Off is just one of the many strategies The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition uses in preventing prescription drug abuse and they will continue their efforts by promoting a safe and healthy environment for its residents. If you are interested in learning more you may contact Jennifer Lehman at 319-385-8126 or read more on The Henry County Substance Abuse web pages.

Photo: Above Left: Guests are invited to speak and share their stories. This is a time for them to celebrate their own recovery or to remember those who have died from drug and/or alcohol abuse.

Photo: Above Right:People attending the Vigil take time to write encouraging remarks on the labyrinth for those who are going through recovery.

The Vigil for Lost Promise is a ceremony held annually in Mt. Pleasant to remember those who have died from drugs and alcohol and to celebrate those in recovery. It is a time to come together to remember that "Too many lives which held so much promise have been lost to drugs and alcohol. Too many families and friends have suffered these losses, and our world is less rich because the flame of talent was extinguished long before its promise burned bright." The ceremony includes guest speakers, community resource information displays, memory wall, wall of fame, and a candle lighting ceremony. This event is well attended and something the Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition looks forward to hosting each year.