Parent Alert May 2024

By rbean | May 28, 2025 |

#NationalPreventionWeek24 is a health education platform that promotes new ideas and initiatives to help keep communities healthy & safe. Join us as we celebrate the #substanceuse prevention and #mentalhealth efforts happening nationwide! Learn more: samhsa.gov/prevention-week

National Prevention Week is almost here! This annual event is a great opportunity to learn more about prevention science, and how communities work together to prevent substance use and promote positive mental health.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) uses this week to celebrate and showcase prevention initiatives, ideas, and activities that are having an impact on many communities across the country. The Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) says, “Substance use prevention is crucial for safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals and communities alike. By preventing substance misuse, we can mitigate the risk of developing substance use disorders, which can have profound and long-lasting effects on physical health, mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.” Substance use prevention is the main focus for Wayne County Coalitions.

Wayne County Coalitions is made up of three coalitions: CIRCLE Coalition in Wooster, Rittman SALT Coalition in Rittman, and Turning Point Coalition in Orrville. Here are some of the initiatives they are involved in to help prevent substance use and promote positive mental health.

Parent Alerts – Monthly newsletters that provide parents with important information about substances, mental health, and ideas to build positive assets with their children.
Community Events – Pizza and Books, Harvest Bash, and other fun alternatives to spend quality time with your family.
Free Trainings and Presentations – TIPS alcohol vendor training teaches local businesses how to properly sell and serve alcohol. Alcohol Literacy Challenge teaches students how to use critical thinking to avoid falling for marketing techniques alcohol companies use to advertise to youth.
Teen Institute – Rittman Teen Institute and RAPA (Riders are Peer Advocates) are student-led groups that focus on preventing substance use and asset-building in school. Students participate in community service projects, lead anti-vaping presentations in middle school health classes, and help with community events like Pizza and Books.

These are just a few of the many ways in which Wayne County Coalitions are having an impact on the community. Please visit the links below to learn more about these coalitions, and for some fun ways you can participate in National Prevention Week.

Resources

Wayne County Coalitions
CIRCLE Coalition
Rittman SALT Coalition
Turning Point Coalition
SAMHSA – National Prevention Week
DEA – National Prevention Week
PTTC – Empowering Communities: National Prevention Week 2024

This May, we’re collaborating with the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and RecoveryOhio to pay tribute to Mental Health Awareness Month. Since 1949, May has been dedicated to fighting stigma, providing support to those who need it, and raising awareness for the millions impacted by mental illness. 💚

Mental Health Awareness Month is a good reminder of the importance of mental health and how it impacts our well-being. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is celebrating the month with their Take the Moment campaign which “champions the importance of destigmatizing mental health by normalizing the practice of taking moments to prioritize mental health care without guilt or shame.” The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) is taking the month to remind everyone that “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.” The conversation around mental health gains more attention every year due in part to national campaigns like these. Try to take a few moments over the next month to check-in on yourself and those around you to help continue this important conversation.

Check out the resources below for more information.

Resources

NAMI – Mental Health Awareness Month
OhioMHAS – Ohio Observes May as Mental Health Awareness Month
Prevention Action Alliance – Know! To Start a Conversation About Mental Health
Prevention Action Alliance – Know! To Take Teenage Depression Seriously
Prevention Action Alliance – Mental Health Awareness Month Calendar 2024
SAMHSA – It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Tips and Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month
SAMHSA – Mental Health Awareness Month

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) started recognizing May 7th as National Fentanyl Awareness Day three years ago to educate communities about the dangers of illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Medical fentanyl can be used to treat severe pain, but that is because it is carefully made in labs with precise doses. Illicit fentanyl does not follow any of the guidelines that medical fentanyl does. Drug dealers cut illicit fentanyl into other common drugs such as oxycontin, Xanax, and cocaine to lower their manufacturing cost. The highly addictive properties of fentanyl increase the likelihood that their customers will come back for more. Unfortunately, this practice of mixing fentanyl into other drugs has resulted in many overdose deaths.

There were 112,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023, and according to the DEA, 70,000 of those deaths were from illicit fentanyl. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost shared that 3,579 of the 3,651 opioid fatalities in Ohio in 2023 were fentanyl related. These numbers are staggering, but they help show the importance of educating communities about fentanyl and overdoses. Please check out the resources below to learn more about fentanyl and how you can help reduce overdose deaths.

Resources

National Fentanyl Awareness Day
DEA – Fentanyl Awareness
AG Yost Highlights Dangerous Trends on National Fentanyl Awareness Day
CADCA – Practical Theorist 13: Fentanyl: Why Fentanyl/Why Now
NPR – In 2023 fentanyl overdoses ravaged the U.S. and fueled a new culture war fight
SAMHSA – Opioid Overdose

“This month, we celebrate the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities, whose ingenuity, grit, and perseverance have pushed our great American experiment forward.

From Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders whose ancestors have called their lands home for hundreds of years to Asian immigrants who have newly arrived and those whose families have been here for generations — AA and NHPI heritage has long been a part of the history of our great country and a defining force in the soul of our Nation. As artists and journalists, doctors and engineers, business and community leaders, and so much more, AA and NHPI peoples have shaped the very fabric of our Nation and opened up new possibilities for all of us. I am proud that they serve at the highest levels of my Administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Ambassador Katherine Tai, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar, who make this country a better place each and every day. This year, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, who work across government to advance equity, opportunity, and justice for AA and NHPI communities.”

The above is an excerpt from A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, 2024 which was signed by President Biden on April 30th, 2024.

Please visit the links below for the full proclamation and additional information about these communities.

Resources

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Mental Health Resource Guide for Asian Communities
Ohio Asian American Health Coalition
The White House – A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, 2024

Thank you for being a vital part of our community!

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