Hunterdon County Earns National Honor for Efforts to Prevent Substance Use

Pictured from left to right: General Arthur T. Dean, and Hunterdon Prevention Resources (HPR) Management, Safe Coalition Staff: Lesley Gabel, Peggy Dowd, Karen Widico, Jerri Collevechio, and Amy Menes

The Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition, a member of the Hunterdon County Partnership for Health, received the Coalition of the Year Award from CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America), the nation’s leading substance use prevention organization. The Coalition of the Year award is part of CADCA’s GOT OUTCOMES! award program, which gives national recognition to exemplary coalitions that have clearly documented their impact on population-level substance use outcomes. This award is given to one out of 5,000 community coalitions across the nation that works to prevent substance use.

“We congratulate the Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition on their outstanding work and for being true leaders in the field of substance use prevention. Our CADCA GOT OUTCOMES! winners exemplify the excellent work that coalitions are doing around the country to prevent and reduce drug use in their communities,” said Gen. Arthur T. Dean, CADCA’s Chairman and CEO.

That our 30-day usage rates for alcohol have decreased by 26% and marijuana by 10% over the last nine years, is a testament that prevention works.

To achieve success, coalitions have to determine effective solutions to reduce substance use as well as develop strong partnerships to implement these strategies effectively.  One example: the coalition engaged realtors, pharmacies, the local emergency room, funeral homes and hospice care facilities as partners in expanding the education of county residents as to where potentially harmful, unused prescription drugs can be safely disposed of to decrease accessibility.

“We are very grateful for all our members and partners in the medical community, law enforcement, schools and businesses. They really help make a difference,” said Lesley Gabel, Co-CEO of HPR and Project Director for the Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition.

“Our community has really come together – the fact that our 30-day usage rates for alcohol have decreased by 26% and marijuana by 10% over the last nine years, is really a testament that prevention works, and that all teens are not inevitably going to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana,” said Peggy Dowd, the Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition Coordinator.  For more information on the Hunterdon County Safe Communities Coalition, visit www.safecoalition.org .

For information about the Hunterdon County Partnership for Health, email kblanda@hhsnj.org

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