Healthy Communities Healthy Kids Coalition
Please Join Our Efforts
 Amy Mueller, YFS Prevention Coordinator
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
Hilary Kumnick (Killingworth) and Tanja Moriarty (Higganum) are volunteer Co-Chairs for the Coaliton. Strong community leadership enhances and strengthens the Coalition’s efforts and sustainability.
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 2008/2009
May 21, 2008 at HKMS @ 8 a.m.
June 25, 2008 at Copper Skillet (breakfast celebration!) @ 8 a.m.
September 17, 2008 at HKHS @ 8 a.m.
October 22, 2008 at HKMS @ 8 a.m.
November 19, 2008 in Haddam @ 2:30 p.m.
December 17, 2008 in Killingworth @ 2:30 p.m.
January 28, 2009 at HKHS @ 8 a.m.
February 25, 2009 at HKMS @ 8 a.m.
March 18, 2009 in Haddam @ 2:30 p.m.
April 15, 2009 in Killingworth @ 2: 30 p.m.
May 20, 2009 at HKHS @ 8 a.m.
June 24, 2009 at Daybreak Café @ 8 a.m. (breakfast celebration!)
All meetings are open to the public.
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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 Amelia Mueller 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/
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