CHI - St. Joseph's Health - MN

How Can I Help? Talk with your kids. When you're the parent of a teenager, it can feel like nothing you say has any effect. However, parents play a role in preventing teen substance abuse. Children who learn about the risks of drug use from their parents are less likely to use drugs than those who don't. In Hubbard County, 90 percent of 8th, 9th, and 11th graders say they can talk with their parents about most or some of the problems they're having—and those who can talk with their parents are more than two times less likely to engage in alcohol abuse and more than three times less likely to engage in marijuana or drug abuse. Share the facts about the risks of underage drinking and drug use, and set rules about your expectations for behavior. Talk with other parents. Parents who share information, ideas, and support about preventing drug and alcohol abuse in children build their own community. Work with other parents to increase involvement in the lives of your teenagers—monitor where kids gather and what they do. Never provide alcohol to someone else's child, and communicate that you expect the same from other parents. Support the Hubbard in Prevention (HIP) Coalition. HIP relies on monetary, in-kind, and skill donations to change the culture of Hubbard County. Whether it's volunteering your time, attending meetings, donating your professional skills, or participating in a youth event, find out where your time and talents are needed. V isit www.HubbardinPrevention.org for more information, or contact Angela Graham at AngelaGraham@CatholicHealth.net or 218.255.3692. ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY In order to build a healthy and safe community, all of HIP's work is centered around increasing the protective factors for avoiding alcohol and drug abuse, and decreasing the risk factors. Some protective factors include: Strong policies Clear expectations and consequences for behavior Supportive relationships Strong connections with community and school Academic success Parental engagement Skill-building opportunities The risk factors that HIP tries to address include ineffective parenting, easy access to drugs and alcohol, academic failure, permissive attitudes about substance use, family history of substance use, and extreme poverty. THE ROLE OF EDUCATION As perception of harm increases, the frequency of youth substance abuse decreases, which is why education is vital to prevention. One of the key strategies used by HIP is an evidence-based school curriculum called Project Northland, which has been proven to reduce the use of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes. In this curriculum, grade-specific activities, tasks, and exercises are used to reach young people at ages when they are most likely to try alcohol or drugs. Project Northland incorporates the family and the community. In one study, nearly 90 percent of parents participated in the home-based programs for Project Northland. This curriculum also uses peer-led instruction to influence adolescent behavior and reduce teen substance abuse. The HIP Coalition also works directly in the community. The coalition offers responsible beverage server training to teach and educate servers about over-serving customers, underage sales, and preventing third-party sales. In 2015 and 2016, students and community members recorded radio commercials encouraging parents to talk with their children about not using drugs and alcohol. The students and HIP Coalition members also worked with small business owners to display signs showing support for the prevention of underage drinking. To learn more about the HIP Coalition, visit www.HubbardinPrevention.org. "We want to empower youth to make safe and healthy choices to be substance-free through prevention and education." ANGELA GRAHAM, GRANT COORDINATOR www.CHISJH.org | CHI St. Joseph's Health 5

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