WHAT
Prevent Coalition is hosting a spring coalition meeting and public forum for community members and a panel of experts from public health, neuroscience, prevention, intervention and law enforcement to discuss the real issues with youth opioid use in Clark County and identify solutions for prevention and intervention.
WHERE
The event is free and open to the public on Thursday, April 19, from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at ESD 112 Conference Center (2500 NE 65th Ave Vancouver, WA 98661)
WHY
Seventy-one percent of all drug poisoning deaths in Clark County are opioid related, according to data pulled earlier this year by Clark County Public Health. The Prevent Coalition aims to reduce the toll opioids are taking on our community by taking targeted action throughout April on awareness, conversation, and prevention.
WHO
Panelists for the coalition meeting and public forum include:
- Adiba Ali, Epidemiologist with Clark County Public Health
- Jim Jensen, Clinician with InAct, a program of Volunteers of America
- Denise Livingston, Prevention Intervention Specialist with ESD 112
- David Helgeson, Ph.D., MHP, CDP with Juvenile Recovery Court / School Based Services at Lifeline Connections
- Gerardo Gutierrez School Resource Officer with Mountain View High School
As students enter a season of state-mandated testing, Educational Service District 112 has released a catchy music video that takes some of the mystery out of the process.
“Teacher’s got SBAC”—pronounced “S-BAC”—is a rap performed by staff and students at Vancouver’s Hough Elementary School. As they rap, dance and beatbox across the screen, they share some of the reasons behind state assessments and the benefits of taking them. (Watch video here: http://bit.ly/EduSpeakSBAC)
(SBAC stands for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a multi-state group that developed the tests that are used in Washington and many other states.)
“Schools throughout Washington use state assessment results to make improvements in teaching and learning,” said Mike Nerland, ESD 112 assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning. “Assessment results provide information that allow schools to identify strengths and gaps in curriculum and instruction. They also give educators data that enable them to design teaching strategies to boost student achievement.”
The video launches ESD 112’s “EDU-speakin’ to me?!” video series on social media. EDU-speakin’ is a creation of the agency’s Communications and Public Engagement department.
“One day we were talking about how confusing education terms can be for us as parents of school-age children—even though we work with this jargon every day at ESD 112,” said communications manager Sarah Coomber.
“So we thought, ‘What if we made learning education jargon fun?’” said graphic designer and copywriter Melissa Burt.
Soon they were brainstorming with communications manager Michele McKeag Larsen and video producer Rose Yandell, targeting topics that might help parents feel more comfortable in school conversations and conferences.
So far the EDU-speakin’ group has tackled Common Core/CCSS, DIBELS, magnet schools, NGSS, STEM/STEAM, BYOD and SBAC—with more to come. The videos are available at https://www.esd112.org/eduspeak/ and will be featured on social media throughout the spring.
To make sure the project is answering a real need, the EDU-speakin’ group shared one video and survey with ESD 112 colleagues. Of 65 respondents, 70.8 percent said they also have been confused by various education terms, and 21.5 percent more admitted to having been “somewhat” confused.
When they shared the same survey with families in Hockinson School District, they found that out of 45 respondents, 64.4 percent have been confused and 26.7 percent have been “somewhat confused.”
“We knew we were on to something,” said Larsen. “Now we’re on a mission to make public education understandable to everyone.”
A trio from the Educational Service District 112 Communications Team has received the 2018 President’s Award from the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), a network of all nine of the state’s ESDs.
Lori Oberheide, Assistant Superintendent of Communications and Community Engagement; Heidi Barnes, Director of Creative and Web Development; and Laura Martin, Web Developer, were honored at the AESD Annual Conference in the Tri-Cities April 12-14. AESD President Rick Anthony presented the award on behalf of the organization for “appreciation of extraordinary work, support and dedication.” The team rebranded the AESD several years ago and most recently built and launched a new website for the organization. Visit https://www.waesd.org/ to see more.
Seventy-one percent of all drug poisoning deaths in Clark County are opioid related, according to data pulled earlier this year by Clark County Public Health. And seventy-five percent of all opioid poisoning deaths are prescription opioid related, which increased about 16 percentage points since 2013 (from 59%). Safe medicine take-back programs, like those scheduled on April 28th, get potentially dangerous leftover drugs out of our homes.
Clark and Skamania County residents can safely dispose of all unused prescription and over the counter medications at five free collection events. All unwanted medications (controlled and non-controlled) will be accepted at each event location. Sharps and syringes will ONLY be accepted at the Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park event location. Events will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28th, at:
- PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care, 33rd & Main (S. Back Lot), Vancouver
- Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver
- Battle Ground Police Department, 507 SW 1st St., Battle Ground
- Washougal Silver Star Search & Rescue, 1220 A St., Washougal
- Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, 200 NW Vancouver Ave., Stevenson
Unused medicines left in the home increase opportunities for drug abuse and accidental poisoning. Most abusers of medicines, including teens, get the drugs from a friend, relative, or their own home; often without anyone knowing, rather than from a drug dealer.
The April 28th collection event is organized thanks to a community partnership including Clark County Public Health, Kaiser Permanente, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Battle Ground Police Department, La Center Police Department, Ridgefield Police Department, Vancouver Police Department, Washougal Police Department, Washougal Silver Star Search and Rescue, Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, Walgreens, Connect Evergreen, La Center United t, Prevent Coalition, Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance, Unite! Washougal Community Coalition, Connect Evergreen, West Van for Youth, and U.S. Dept. of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
Drug Take Back events in October 2017 collected more than 3,500 pounds of medications from 1,165 participants. Unwanted medications also can be disposed of year-round at several collection sites across Clark and Skamania Counties. Controlled substances, such as pain killers and tranquilizers, can be taken to participating law enforcement agencies and participating pharmacies. Non-controlled substances, such as over-the-counter medications, Sharps and syringes, can be taken to local participating transfer and recovery centers. Visit www.ClarkGreenNeighbors.org/meds for more details on where to drop off your medications.
For more information about the events, call Clark County Public Health at (360) 397-2121 ext. 4352, or contact the Prevent Coalition at eventcoalition@esd112.org">preventcoalition@esd112.org.
Educational Service District 112 (ESD 112) is hosting an information session about their new teaching certificate program, ESD-University (ESD-U), on April 18th. ESD-U is a residency-based, flexible program that offers alternative routes to teacher certification for people who already have bachelor’s degrees at about half the cost of a college or university ($8,000 compared to $14,000).
The informational session is free and open to the public, and will go over the application process, how the program works and potential funding sources for qualified candidates. The session will be held at ESD 112 in the Conference Center on April 18th from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
The first cohort for ESD-U will start this summer. Applications are due May 1. ESD-U is operated by ESD 112 and has been approved by PESB (Professional Educator Standards Board). Endorsements currently available are:
- Reading
- English Language Learners (ELL)
- Special Education (SPED)
For more info on what’s available through ESD-U, visit: https://www.esd112.org/esd-u/
Seventy-one percent of all drug poisoning deaths in Clark County are opioid related, according to data pulled earlier this year by Clark County Public Health. The Prevent Coalition aims to reduce the toll opioids are taking on our community by taking targeted action throughout April on awareness and prevention. The organization’s plans include:
- Partnering with Washington State Department of Social and Health Services on the statewide opioid campaign It Starts with One (getthefactsrx.com). The campaign is designed to inform and educate young adults, their parents, and older adults about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe storage, use, and disposal.
- Prevent Coalition, in partnership with eight partnering substance abuse prevention coalitions, is raising awareness in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties using this campaign’s messaging on social media and in newspaper and movie theater ads, as well as disseminating information with prescription opioids through pharmacies.
- Hosting Prevent Coalition’s spring coalition meeting on April 19: Community Conversations About Youth and Opioids in Clark County.
- The public forum will bring together community members and a panel of experts from public health, neuroscience, prevention, intervention and law enforcement to discuss the real issues with youth opioid use in Clark County and identify solutions for prevention and intervention.
- Panelists include: Adiba Ali, Epidemiologist with Clark County Public Health; Jim Jensen, Clinician with InAct, a program of Volunteers of America; Denise Livingston, Prevention Intervention Specialist with ESD 112; David Helgeson, Ph.D., MHP, CDP with Juvenile Recovery Court / School Based Services at Lifeline Connections and Gerardo Gutierrez School Resource Officer with Mountain View High School.
- The event is free and open to the public on Thursday, April 19, from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at ESD 112 Conference Center (2500 NE 65th Ave Vancouver, WA 98661).
- The month’s focused and collaborative efforts culminate with five Drug Take Back events on April 28th at:
- PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care, 33rd & Main (S. Back Lot), Vancouver
- Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver
- Battle Ground Police Department, 507 SW 1st St., Battle Ground
- Washougal Silver Star Search & Rescue, 1220 A St., Washougal
- Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, 200 NW Vancouver Ave., Stevenson
“The first step in dealing with the opioid crises is awareness,” said Joy Lyons, Prevention Intervention Manager at ESD 112. “The bulk of our efforts in April are focused on starting those conversations, specifically how we can protect our youth.”