February 22, 2010 Minutes

Minutes from PDAC Meeting
7-8:30 pm at the Pittsfield Youth Workshop
February 22th, 2010

In attendance: Denise Morin, Dan Ward, Officer John Webber, Sarah Sadowski, Zach Powers

Meeting called to order at 7pm.

I. The YRBS numbers are out! The group discussed the declines across the board in 30 day use and age of onset for tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Some of the numbers are very encouraging- such as the 39% drop in youth who report drinking in the last 30 days. Although it is important to remember to take year-to-year numbers with a grain of salt, this decline is exciting! The group went through the survey and took a look at some of the data. The percentage of youth who smoke is down over 50% from the last survey (30% in 2007 to 13% in 2009). However, the percentage of youth who use marijuana has outstripped those who use tobacco- 27% of youth reported using marijuana in the past 30 days.

a. Rx Drugs and OTC- The group spent a good deal of time looking at the YRBS numbers for prescription and over the counter (OTC) drug use- a new category on the 2009 survey. The % of students who had used prescription drugs off label was 26.1%, compared to the state average of 19.5%. 30 day use was a bit more encouraging, 8.7% of Pittsfield youth reported recreational use of prescription drugs within 30 days- below the state average of 9.4%. The group spent some time discussing the gendered nature of the numbers- way more females reported using than males. This is also the case when looking at the practice of huffing- far more females self-reported use of aerosols or paint to get high. What is at the heart of this gender divide?

II. Plans for Community Forum- As in 2007, PDAC will use the release of the YRBS numbers to build momentum for the community forums on drug and alcohol abuse. We will invite members of the community with a strong emphasis on youth and ask state reps to attend. The group decided to schedule the forums for the last two weeks in May to piggy back with end of year events. There will be two forums, door prizes (an IPOD was donated by WalMart last year). Sarah will pedal the forums to the PTO, The Rotary and Parents Group to see if we can drum up some additional volunteers.

III. CADCA Recap- Dan Ward reported on Rx and OTC info he obtained at the CADCA training as well as a Channel 9 news segment that aired the night before about prescription drug abuse in NH. According to information at the conference, unlike MA, NH has no central database system to track prescriptions. This is creating a situation where folks can come over the boarder to circumvent the centralized system and NH residents can “doctor shop” easier. Denise shared the Selectbboard has begun “flagging” ambulance rides that are initiated by individuals who frequently go to the ER in hopes of a painkiller prescription. Dan met a representative from Danvers who specializes in social marketing that would be willing to talk to the group and collected some Drug Free Workplace protocols that could be shared with our business sector. He also reported that Governor Lynch’s wife and the wife of Governor Baldacci work on the drug free workplace committee. One of the big takeaways for Dan was the need for a prescription drug take back program. There is currently one in Seabrook (the first in the state) the group will be looking into how the program is run over there and ways that it could be brought to Pittsfield. Denise reported that the Chief had just approached her about starting such a program. Sarah reported on the presentations she’d seen about using GIS and the Friday DFC workshop. The message that she heard again and again was to reach out to state partners.

IV. Mission Statement- In light of PDAC emphasis on youth, the mission statement was reworded to place youth further up in the statement to highlight that priority.

V. Log Frame- The group reviewed the logic model with social focus on the environmental activities. Somehow leveraging fines from drug and alcohol offenses was again discussed. The group brainstormed ways to get more data to understand the scope of substance abuse in Pittsfield. Sarah will be in touch with the Chief for new numbers and Jeff Martel will be contacted by Sarah in hopes of finding out how many students get referrals to substance abuse prevention resources.

VI. In Kind partnerships- The group reviewed the anticipated in-kind support PDAC will be receiving in 2011. Denise pointed out the Warrant Article sum is $9,900. Sandy Windgate was suggested as the lawyer who may be able to offer the pro bono help the group will need to suggest changes to laws and ordinance wording. The group discussed the likelihood of being able to pass a fine for landlord who fail to respond adequately to repeated police calls to their buildings. Since the majority of problem landlords live outside the community, passing the fine could happen without too much opposition, but with elections coming up, the group isn’t sure when/how to proceed. Towns like Franklin have such a system and Sarah will make some calls to hear more about how that got started.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30. The next meeting will be held March 8th at 7pm at PYW. Thanks for attending!

Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Sadowski