Prevention Works! Minutes 

Clallam County Prevention Works! Community Coalition Minutes
Olympic Medical Center
December 8, 2003

Those present: Angie Graff (Olympic Medical Center), Cynthia Martin (Parenting Matters Foundation), Elna Kawal (Sequim School District), Michelle Dower (Olympic Education Service District), Gwen Cole (Healthy Families), Susan Hillgren (Family Planning of Clallam County), Debra Knutson (DCFS), Fiona Hert (Northwest Services Council), Karen Meyer (Communities that Care), Susan Alexander (Lower Elwha), Kim Kettel (Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe), Heidi Milwauk (JST), Rachel Anderson (Clallam County Health & Human Services), Jennifer Charles (CCHHS), Shaine Schramling (Parenting Matters Foundation), Laura Hahn (Quillayute Valley School District – PI), Wally Seelye (Port Angeles High School– PI), Pauley Depo (Sequim & Crescent School Districts – PI, Crescent), Gail Rhodes (Cape Flattery School District – PI), Florence Bucierka (CCHHS), Jane Shefler (Community Member), Sherrie Jones (PI Crescent S.D.), Lance Norton (PI Middle Schools in PA), Michelle Maike (Evaluation team for SAP), Ann Bell (Head Start), Ida Carroll (West End Outreach)

Call to Order

Introductions

Presentation – Michelle Dower, Olympic Educational Service District in for Sue Renes coordinator for Jefferson County & Clallam Counties. ESD overview – funding overview, projects

·        Region – North Mason, Kitsap, Jeff, Clallam Counties – all pool Title 4 dollars based on FTE and Free & Reduced. State (1988) – Prevention/Intervention Dollars (OSPI, DASA), Tobacco Dollars (DOH) – braid funds together for services –

·        Department actively seeks grant opportunities

·        Background of staff – BA and Chemical Dependency Certification, Large Percentage have MA in Counseling – CD Cert or MA Counseling.

·        9 ESD’s – collaborative grant for state Reduced Underage Drinking – model program

·        Quilcene, Crescent & Cape Flattery with level of service

·        Initiative – Safe Schools, Healthy Students – grant no longer in place – some districts have continue to fund positions

·        Sustaining – regional crisis response team – mainly school district people, ESD folks – function – SD can access when there has been traumatic event – stress de-briefing – death of a student . . . rural areas – death of a community member (Michelle & Sue and their director)

·        Laura Hahn (QVSD) – Middle School M-Th, High School Friday a.m., Altern. H.S. Friday P.M. – referrals through students themselves who may be concerned about others – tobacco, marijuana, alcohol – referrals from parents and teachers – classroom and staff presentations – to be aware of chemical dependency and what to look for. School code broken or coming with paraphanalia. If a student comes with paraphernalia – suspended for 20 days or Insight Class (8 weeks) and then suspended for 5 days.

o       Most districts have similar programs

·        Wally Seely (PAHS) – Insight Class – Bailout piece – 5 days of suspension vs. 60 days. Reason for class – from prevention perspective – kids who haven’t used self-refer sometimes. Focus – raise level of insight how drug and alcohol abuse affects them physically, their family, legally, educational

o       Variety of symptoms that teachers are aware of – dropping grades

o       Pre-screening rather than full-fledged evaluation – outcome once it is reported back to administration – may be done or referral to local treatment provider

o       Kids that were getting busted at school went for full assessment – many kids lied and were sent back to educational group

o       8 weeks – more honest with professionals in their use and it is more pre-treatment

·        Lance Norton (Middle Schools – PA) – Prevention Interventionist – family and parental outreach – worked for Juvenile Services for 5 years. Connections important – family outreach through another staff. Meet him with people parent already knows – not an extra trip for parent. If a child is a certain age, need permission from parent to speak with him (12 and under). Keep relationship open, not be disciplinarian or bossing parent around. Home Visits – primarily now just with boys.

o       One of the priorities has been parent involvement.

o       13 and older student can seek services (federal confidentiality laws) – try to get them to see importance of bringing parents involved

·        Gail (CFSD) – Project Success – can form “Concern for Others” group – someone always is worried about others. Awareness and Prevention Activities – worked at prison at youthful offender program. Went to work for ESD – still a lot of community relations at Neah Bay and Clallam Bay – primary focus has been on working within tribal community – Makah Days art project . . . posters from school for that project. Fall – Red Ribbon Week with Tribe. Did same at Clallam Bay (Lions Club, small community groups). Building community relations.

o       Universal Prevention Approaches –

·        Pauly Depo – Crescent, Cape Flattery Project Success – Prevention Education Series – 9^th grade – weekly presenting component of that series (2 full class periods). First part – what it’s like to be a teenager. How it’s different from middle school, how to deal with those changes. Family component – stress from families and how it is difficult to come to school when things at home aren’t going as well. Drugs and alcohol – no groups until series is completed. Let them formulate where they see themselves being.

o       1^st year at Crescent – Task Force to build with kids. 4 seniors and sophomore – plan activities for students

§         Tobacco education prevention presentation – to present to 7^th and 8^th grades

§         In process of planning assembly for high school – January (alcohol and drug)

§         Red Ribbon Week – 10^th graders – marijuana

§         Challenge Group – Sequim – 14 girls that are self-referrals to want to stop using. Similar to insight but more checking in.

§         Recovery Group

·        Sherrie (Crescent Elementary & Middle) – Part time P/I – Part Time Behavior Interventionist – middle school and 5^th and 6^th grade – insight class, classroom presentations (tobacco, prevention), younger grades – BI (result of Safe Schools, Crescent School District) – Second Steps – program designed to reduce violence in schools – 3 components: 1) anger management, 2) impulse control, 3) empathy training. Developmentally targeted for each grade (K-3), 4^th and 5^th grade – develop peer mediation program for them on playground to help solve problems.

o       Behavior Groups – Anger Management group, Empowerment Group for kids that are shyer, reserved, or newer, loners

o       Younger Kids Social Skills Group – 1^st through 3^rd graders

·        Insight – Wally – Saturdays 6 hours straight through. Others 8 weeks (once a week)

·        Florence – of those in insight – how many go on to need Treatment (Wally 80%), Volunteer Group (40-45%) – how easy is it to get them into treatment – easy for Port Angeles. Michelle: if a student is not on a discipline referral it can be difficult to agree to go to treatment, even if they know they have a problem.  Sequim – have to go to agency for assessment. Challenge group – once they have education, more likely to seek treatment. Paulie (30-40% need treatment, 20% go on to get it).

·        Florence – Project Alert (PA, Sequim) or Project Success – is that still the case? Commending us on being one of few counties who has best practice in place in every district.

·        Wally – talked about recovery group.

·        Michelle – another group that is priority – “affected others” – fits well into prevention model – even though it is someone else’s use that creates problem it is easy for them to go in wrong direction

·        Cynthia – PW efforts have primarly been focused Birth-4. Would really like to invite participation to help PW. Nice to have them here. Paulie – staff at SHS, SMS, Crescent – so supportive. Schools are aware and helping and referring – can remember time when that wasn’t true.

·        Kim – Asked about Crescent decision to have Sherry – originally there were Behavior Interventionists in all schools. Grant ended, program ended. Sherry’s position retained. QVSD contributes, Queets, North Mason for Behavior Interventionists. Huge piece of the grant was successful.

·        Florence – also complimenting ESD. $2.4 million/year

Business Meeting

Home Visiting Summit Evaluation – Very successful HV Summit – 50 participants. Evaluations were rave reviews – evaluation was passed around and is also available on PW Home Visiting Web Site.

Vote on Prevention Works! Purchasing books for Foster kids – purchased Scholastic Books through Parenting Matters Foundation for $1 each for Foster kids in Christmas Gift Allocations. CCCN contributing 150 books. CM – plan ahead for next year. Shaine moved, Elna  seconded. Passed

Jane – Treasurer’s Report – appx. $8800. Current expense is Shaine $100/month

$6000 in liquid funds. HV Summit – profit maker this year.

Foundation for Early Learning – Requested conference support – Home Visiting Summit, Parent Ed Summit, Grantwriting Workshop, John Medina - $5000 requested and received. Since we haven’t gotten 501c3 yet, administering through UW with 2% admin fee.

3/12/04 - John Medina – Talaris Reseach Insitute - presentation – OMC Linkletter Hall

            Need for committee – Fiona, Florence, Cynthia, Jim B., Jane, publicity – Jane – January meeting – most important piece is publicity

            Very funny, knowledgable, brain researcher – so much information.

            Speak, knowing that we are trying to reach out to parents in the community – topic is children.

            Cynthia talked about bringing in other people to help out

            Gwen Cole – will check with PR guy from Healthy Families

            Angie G – what about Rhonda LoPresti

            Florence – people will think about things they would like him to cover –

            Steve T.          

Committee Reports

·        Parenting Education – OPEN, Nancy Bluestein-Johnson interested in carrying it on and maybe Barbara Clampett – someone from PC. Someone who could come in a talk about parenting of all ages. Fiona is open to ideas for speaker -

·        Membership - OPEN

·        Home Visiting – See evaluation above.

·        Publicity – No Report

·        Strategic Planning – No Report

·        KEYS – Elna K. – changed our focus to transitioning for kids from preschool into school – what kids need to know. Work with preschools and schools to incorporate those skills. Meet 4^th Monday at OMC in Linkletter. January 26 next meeting – several teachers from SSD. Ann Bell talked about if this is Readiness to Learn. Margie Ahlgren will be at next meeting. May be more joint project this year.

·        Rock N Roll – Fiona Hert & Susan Hillgren – meeting Wednesday, December 10 3:30-5:00 p.m. Fireside Room at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Reconvening of Rock N Roll. Karen Meyer will be there also.

·        Tobacco – Rachel A. – Media Campaign for Quitline Advertising – cessation for new

Announcements

Laura Hahn – Parents Who Care in Forks – for parent education calendar

Communities that Care – money next spring for Parent Ed

Jim – CMASA – allocations for parent ed

Healthy Families – parenting classes starting in January (CPS referred) (Florence – Bill Knebes)

Makah Head Start –

Sunshine & Rainbows – parenting class

Forks Abuse – may be doing something

Network – won’t do RFP until January

Need for nominating committee – Jane has someone who is interested in being President – Norma Turner

Peninsula College & Health Families – Vagina Monologues coming. Looking for readers – Feb. 14, 15 & 16 – awareness of violence upon women and children.

Susan Hillgren – Holiday Indulgence Dollars Wednesday December 10 5:30-8:30 p.m. Jazz, Bar, How to make chocolate – ELKS ballroom.

Jane Shefler – passed around financial reports – needs them back.

Lincense Plate Petitions on clipboard

Parenting Again – “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren”

Children’s and Family Services – high percentage of kinship care 

SAMHSA Grant – Lower Elwha Tribe Adolescent Substance Abuse Planning Grant – 1 ½ year grant – really expansive look at treatment models and resources – January meeting

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia Martin, Substitute Secretary

If there are corrections, please e-mail Shaine Schramling mailto:shaines@nwinet.com