Learn to Identify Your Community’s Drug Use Patterns at CADCA Broadcast

Methamphetamine may be receiving a flurry of media attention recently, but is it really the major drug problem in your community? During a CADCA broadcast/webcast entitled "Drug Epidemics from Meth to Mothballs: How to Know What’s Really Happening in Your Community," experts will explore statistics on drug use in different parts of the country, and will offer tools that can help coalitions understand the patterns of drug use in their communities. The broadcast/webcast will be aired May 17 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST.

Community coalitions can cut through the hype, gather their own data, and pinpoint the real drug epidemics in their community. Tune in to this broadcast and meet coalitions who are using data to chart the best course for their drug prevention efforts. We’ll also show you how to use surveillance and investigation tactics to become a “data detective” where you live.

In addition to current drug trends throughout the country, the broadcast will provide real-world examples of how coalitions can use epidemiology to get their message across. CADCA will share examples of effective coalition strategies from the following coalitions: Safe Streets Coalition, Topeka, Kans.; Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation, Park Ridge, Ill.; Tri-County Northland Coalition, Kansas City, Mo., and Santa Barbara Fighting Back, Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Genesee County Drug Free Communities Coalition in Batavia, N.Y.

The broadcast will be hosted by Mary Elizabeth Elliot, CADCA’s Vice President of Communications and Membership.

Presenters will include:

 

Paul Evensen, Vice President and Chief Science Officer at Community Systems Group, a national public health consulting and evaluation firm. Evensen has been involved in nearly every aspect of coalition work as a former executive director, evaluator, board member and volunteer. He was the executive director of the Upstate HIV Prevention Coalition in Greenville, S.C. and has been the volunteer evaluator for Safe Streets of Topeka Kansas for the past eleven years.

Jane Callahan, Director, CADCA’s National Coalition Institute
As the Director of the Coalition Institute, Callahan is responsible for ensuring the Institute provides education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community teams, with emphasis on the development of coalitions serving economically disadvantaged areas. Prior to becoming the Institute Director, Callahan distinguished herself as an administrator and community coalition leader during her 12-year tenure as the director of the Fighting Back Partnership (FBP), Vallejo, California. She has a B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) and an M.A. in Education from Humboldt State University in California.

Maryann Bowman, Project Director for the Genesee County Drug Free Communities Coalition in Batavia, New York; Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC); Certified Prevention Professional (CPP).
For nearly 20 years, Maryann has made a career in the Chemical Dependency field, working at the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. Mrs. Bowman started her career in treatment as an adolescent counselor and was credited for starting the adolescent program. She has worked as a Student Assistance Counselor at Genesee Valley BOCES and Notre Dame high schools. Maryann’s coalition was recognized as a 2006 Got Outcomes! Coalition of Excellence The coalition won in the “coalition as a whole” category for their solid use of data to direct and inform their local strategies.

 

The broadcast will be webcast live at www.MCTFT.com and www.cadca.org. It can also be viewed at no cost from any site with a satellite dish having C-band downlink capabilities. All viewing sites must register in advance to receive the necessary satellite coordinates. To register, contact Ed Kronholm at 877-820-0305 or dlnets@aol.com. To register online, visit: www.dlnets.com/MCTFT2nd.htm.

This broadcast is made possible through a partnership with the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Program (MCTFT), St. Petersburg College and the Florida National Guard.