Healthy Communities Healthy Kids Coalition
Please Join Our Efforts
Healthy Communities-Healthy Kids Coalition receives check from the Killingworth Women’s Organization.
(l-r) Andrea Schull and Joan Wilson (KWO) and Tanja Moriarty and Hilary
Kumnick, Co-Chairs, Healthy Communities Healthy Kids Coalition
What is our mission?
The mission of the Healthy Communities Healthy Kids Coalition is to prevent and reduce substance abuse, other risky behavior, and, promote the wellness of our community.
What is the Healthy Communities Healthy Kids Coalition?
A group of community members formed this coalition (formerly the Prevention Council) in 1993 in response to the growing concern about the number of Haddam and Killingworth youth using and abusing alcohol and other drugs. A collaborative effort enhances and strengthens the process of identifying and addressing areas of concern.
Why was it created?
The towns of Haddam and Killingworth struggle with youth substance abuse. This continues to be an issue with all communities nationwide. The Healthy Communities-Healthy Kids (HC-HK) Coalition seeks to prevent and reduce substance abuse. The Coalition meets monthly and has had several working meetings where members break into small groups to analyze the local and national data, prioritize areas of concern and plan how they hope to address these areas.
Who is involved?
Representatives from all 12 sectors of the community are involved in coalition activities. They include youth; parents; the business community; media; school; youth serving organizations; law enforcement agencies; religious or fraternal organizations; civic and volunteer groups; healthcare professionals; state or local agencies with expertise in the field of substance abuse; and other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse.
Community Co-chairs
Volunteer Community Co-chairs
Hilary Kumnick of Killingworth
Currently also serving on the Killingworth Board of Finance
860-663-3624
Tanja Moriarty of Higganum
Former Haddam Selectwoman
860-345-8063
The Healthy Communities-Healthy Kids Coalition is a member of the Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) http://cadca.org/
H-K Safe Home Pact
Get on the same page as your caring neighbors! Parents and guardians who sign H-K’s Safe Home Pact are pledging their homes will be places where young people will not have access to alcohol or other drugs, and that a responsible adult will properly supervise teen gatherings. More info...
Meeting Schedule 2009/2010
September 16, 2009 – HKHS
October 21, 2009 –HKHS
November 18, 2009 – HKMS
December 16, 2009 – HKHS
January 20, 2010 – HKHS
February 17, 2010 – HKHS
March 17, 2010 – HKMS
April 21, 2010 – HKHS
May 19, 2010 – HKHS
June 23, 2010 – The Daybreak Café
Please note:
All meetings are at 8:00 am.
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 Amy Mueller, YFS Prevention Coordinator The coalition is funded in part by grants from the following sources:
Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) which is a collaborative initiative sponsored by Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) www.ondcp.gov in partnership with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) www.samhsa.gov
Local Prevention Council Grant: administered by the Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council (MCSAAC) www.mcsaac.org
Middlesex United Way Community Impact Grant www.middlesexunitedway.org
State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) www.ct.gov/dmhas/site/default.asp
More information:
Call Ann O'Mara at 345-7498
In a survey administered in May of 2006 (Search Institute* Survey, Profiles of Student Life Attitudes and Behaviors) to HK youth in grades 7-12, the following data was gathered:
The graph gives the 30-day use rates for alcohol/tobacco; 12-month use rate for marijuana for HK youth in grades 7-12:
| |
Alcohol |
Tobacco |
Marijuana |
| 7th |
16% |
5% |
7% |
| 8th |
20% |
7% |
11% |
| 9th |
41% |
19% |
24% |
| 10th |
41% |
13% |
26% |
| 11th |
50% |
20% |
42% |
| 12th |
54% |
27% |
37% |
| Overall percentage |
37% |
15% |
24% |
The HC-HK Coalition seeks to build developmental assets as a way to prevent
and reduce substance abuse. Currently, youth reported having an average
of 18 out of 40 developmental assets which puts them at risk for increased
use/abuse of substances. According to the Search Institute, the more developmental
assets a young person has, the less likely they are to engage in risky behaviors
including substance abuse. The Coalition’s data supports that. The following
graph uses local 30-day use rates of alcohol and tobacco as they relate to
youth reports of assets:
| |
Number of Assets |
| |
0-10 assets |
11-20 assets |
21-30 assets |
31-40 assets |
| 30-day use rate: alcohol |
57% |
42% |
22% |
2% |
| 30-day use rate: tobacco |
32% |
18% |
4% |
0% |
Youth reported having an average of 18 assets; this puts most of them in
the 11-20 assets category in the graph above. The HC-HK coalition will
work to build and increase assets by 5 over the next two years in order
to bring the average number to 23, which will put most of the youth into
the 21-30 assets column, where 30-day use rates for alcohol/tobacco are
much lower.
http://www.search-institute.org/
Other helpful websites:
http://www.drugfree.org/
http://www.theantidrug.com/
http://mvparents.com
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