Parents & Community
The Region 10 Community Wellness Coalition was established in 2010 by a group of concerned community members to address underage drinking and its associated risk factors within the towns of Harwinton and Burlington. The coalition continues to be an asset to the community with strong support from the Region 10 School District administration and the First Selectmen of both towns.
Social Host Law Campaign
Local survey data shows that the most common place for teenagers to acquire alcohol in Harwinton and Burlington is at home or on private property, with or without owner’s knowledge. In Region 10, over half of the students who report alcohol use said they had four or more drinks on one occasion in the last 30 days.
Social Host Law in Connecticut refers to legislation that became effective in October of 2012. The law prohibits anyone who owns or controls private property from permitting anyone under age 21 to illegally possess alcohol in the unit or on the property. Existing law prohibits knowingly allowing possession while the new law extends liability to those property owners whether or not they are home at the time or knowingly providing alcohol to minors. It requires any person who knows that a minor possesses alcohol illegally to make reasonable efforts to stop it.
The Region 10 CWC continues to educate parents and property owners about the liabilities associated with providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21, with the exception of their own children. Along with a $2,000 fine, the penalty for this Class A Misdemeanor violation is a maximum of one year of jail time.
Rx Abuse Prevention
In our Coalition, we have learned first hand how many youth and teens get their abused prescription drugs from a friend or relative, either for free, by buying them, or taking them without asking. We ask all parents and adults to make sure their prescription medication is locked up and or not in an easily accessible location to those that may abuse it. For those that require a specific medication, we encourage you to speak with your doctor on whether there’s an alternative medication with ingredients that have less potential for addiction. In addition, we have partnered with Capital Counties Commit, a campaign empowering young adults and community members on the negative effects of prescription abuse.
Data Collection
Data collection is an important part of the Public Health Model for Prevention. Region 10 CWC has historically partnered with Region 10 School District to survey students from grades 6-12 about trending substance use and mental health topics. With this information we can get a clear picture of what our youth need in terms of support, resources, education, and connection to the wider community. The Region 10 CWC contracts with SERAC for survey development and implementation and an Evaluator for data evaluation services. We are committed to implementing evidence-based programs based on data-driven analysis of our community. We utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) for best practices on implementing Prevention. To learn more about the SPF, read SAMHSA’s guide here.
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