Friday, August 21, 2009

Starting Point of Ozaukee's "Parents who Host Lose the Most" Media Campaign: Findings from the 2009 Parent Survey

Starting Point of Ozaukee's "Parents who Host Lose the Most" Media Campaign: Findings from the 2009 Parent Survey - August 2009 .pdf format.

In the spring of 2007, Starting Point of Ozaukee launched "Parents who Host Lose the Most: Don't be a party to teenage drinking", a public awareness campaign to inform the community about the consequences of providing alcohol to underage youth. This report presents findings from the "Parents who Host Lose the Most" parent awareness survey conducted by the Planning Council and Starting Point during the spring of 2009 in Ozaukee County. The report focuses on survey respondents' perceptions of issues related to underage alcohol use, sources of exposure to the "Parents who Host Lose the Most" campaign, perceptions of the usefulness of campaign messages, and knowledge about and perceptions of underage drinking laws in Wisconsin.

To learn more about Starting Point of Ozaukee, visit www.ozaukeecouncil.org. The "Parents who Host Lose the Most" public awareness campaign was developed by the Ohio-based Drug Free Action Alliance. For more information, visit www.drugfreeactionalliance.org.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Substance Abuse Report Released

Did you know that… in Southeastern Wisconsin

·In four of the five counties with survey data on student substance use, about one-quarter of 9th graders reported having at least one drink of alcohol in the past 30 days (survey data gathered between 2006 and 2009)?
·Alcohol-related medical conditions and injuries resulted in 5,938 emergency room visits in 2007 among all eight counties in the region?
·There were 11,777 Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) arrests in 2007 among all eight counties in the region?

The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc., recently released “Key Substance Abuse Indicators.” This report was prepared for the Alliance of Wisconsin Youth Southeastern Regional Center, a group of substance abuse practitioners that works to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse and build the capacity of prevention coalitions in Southeastern Wisconsin. This report provides general information about substance use among youth and provides an analysis of information on the consequences of substance abuse in the Southeastern Region and its comprising counties. The report highlights indicators of substance abuse, examines the cross-system impact and burden that results from substance use, and shares information that could lead to focused community planning for substance abuse prevention.

To view the report, click on the following link: http://www.planningcouncil.org/docs/reports/atoda/2009_ATODA_Report_%20Revised.pdf For more information on the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth, please access their website at http://www.allwisyouth.org/.

To learn more about demographic and substance abuse data in Southeastern Wisconsin, click on the following link: http://www.planningcouncil.org/docs/reports/atoda/Demographic_Profiles_Report_080717.pdf This report was prepared for the Alliance in July of 2008.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Child Care, Effort is Multipronged

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/52220327.html
Your Day
Posted Aug. 2, 2009

CHILD CARE
Effort is multipronged
I was pleased to see the July 26 editorial "Keeping children safe has to be the priority" reminding Milwaukee of the importance of keeping children safe and the recognition of recent accomplishments of the state Department of Children and Families (Reggie Bicha's "Another View" http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/51616002.html).

The state budget reflects an increased investment in our most vulnerable population, and the Journal Sentinel's continued attention to the topic will help to bring needed change. The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, author of the study released in May and referred to in the article, is pleased to see fiscal and programmatic changes that address the identified needs.

The press and the bureaucracy play key roles. However, as the source of this study and the community conversation that followed, we also would like to emphasize that assuring child safety will take more than a year and more than the efforts of a state department.

Several other needed strategies have been identified including: shared medical records; concentrated and focused effort on those most susceptible; linking to community resources including family support programs, medical clinics, community organizations, neighborhood centers and the faith-based community; and the candid recognition of the influence of race and poverty in these cases. These will need to be addressed by multiple sources over the long haul to make Milwaukee a leader in keeping children safe.

Kathleen Pritchard, Executive Director
Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc.