Enter eCheckUp to win!

This morning I'm thinking of this concept of winning.  We all like to "WIN," but so often we're sceptical about anything that advertises "WINNING." Yeah... what I'm really thinking when I see that bold-type "WIN" is something like this, "What are you trying to sell me now?", "Why do you want my information?", "NO!"

Now that Healthy Lamoille Valley is offering a chance to WIN, I'm evaluating what this means exactly. If you go to  Healthy Lamoille Valley's eCheckUp page between now and May 15th, you'll be able to take a self assessment that allows you to examine your habits around alcohol use.  One visitor, who meets the drawing's criteria - mainly being over 18 and living in the Lamoille Valley, will win a $300 Best Buy gift card, another a $200, and a third a $100.

Wonderful! So three people "WIN?" Well, yes and no...  In reality everyone is a winner in this scenario.  Anytime you take a moment to access your wellness you "WIN."  It's in the pause, the examining.  You slow down and take a moment to care for yourself.  When you do this you are enabling yourself to take better care of the people and things that matter to you. You become a stronger partner, parent, friend, or employee.

Will you "WIN" today?  eCheckUp

And oh... what will Healthy Lamoille Valley do with your info?  This survey is completely confidential.  Just as no one can link my results back to me - your individual results are secure as well.  What Healthy Lamoille Valley will look at overall is the complete results which will show us the alcohol trends in the Lamoille Valley allowing us to put our resources where there's the most need.  

Check us out: http://www.healthylamoillevalley.org/

Rx Disposal

Can I just share how excited I am? Did you know that the Lamoille County Sheriff's Department in Hyde Park will take back our unused, expired, and unwanted prescriptions year-round?  No questions asked...!

You may be wondering why this excites me soooooo much?  Many of the reasons are actually closely interrelated and boil down to making our communities safer. But here are my thoughts...

1. It gives me a place to get rid of them getting them out of my house as soon as I'm done with a prescription I no longer need.  This eliminates the chance that my children will stumble on my secure hiding spot and decide to be curious.  
2. I had the opportunity to watch Hungry Heart, a movie that looks at prescription drug and opiate addiction among kids in Vermont.  Yes I said kids... some of the kids featured in the movie started using at age 12. Many twelve year olds are still attending elementary school.  The movie raises several questions, but one of the biggest is where the kids are getting pills in the first place?  Some bought the pills or were offered by friends/family... but they still had to come from somewhere.  Doctors prescribe painkillers (often opiates) for many legitimate reasons, however patients don't always use them correctly, finish them or secure them properly leaving them easily available to those looking.   Yeah... that 1/2 bottle hanging out in the back of your medicine cabinet or closet may be the start to someone's addiction.  Get rid of it. - The cost of drug addiction is staggering and extracts a high price on the user, her family, and the community as the user does whatever necessary to get her next high.  If we reduce kids access they are less likely to try it - making everyone's lives better.
3. Getting rid of them makes you less of a target, especially seniors. According to the 2011 National survey on drug use and health, "70% of people 12 and older who abuse prescription drugs get them from family and friends." If someone's looking for drugs and  rifles through your things and finds them... they'll be back. 
4. It protects the environment... Vermont Public Radio recently aired a story titled, "What's in your water?"   A lot of our drugs don't just go away if we choose to flush them.  Our wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter these substances.  Taking them to a DEA approved drop-off location instead of flushing them prevents them from getting into your drinking water and harming wildlife. 
5. Simply put: It just makes our communities safer.

Recently, I had a really good conversation with Nate Dandrow at the Lamoille County Sheriff's Department.  He was extremely helpful in answering my questions and is all about keeping our communities safe and getting rid of unused drugs that may prove to be a temptation.  Nate gave me permission to share his contact information with community members.  Call Nate Dandrow with your questions at 851-1370 (school day) or at the 888-3502 (Sheriff's Department).  Nate can also be reached via email: ndandrow@luhs18.org.

Check back soon for a post on proper storage.  

So... please share this information with your loved ones and neighbors... doing so could save a life.  

The DEA also has scheduled Community RX Take Back Events coming up in April:

Got Drugs?

Bring any unused, expired, & Unwanted Medications

RX Take BACK EVENT

APRIL 26th 10:00-2:00

Locations

Lamoille County Sheriff’s Dept. (YearRound) 

Stowe Police Department

Kinney Drugs in Morrisville

GW/Tatro in Jeffersonville

Hardwick Police Department

Safe Disposal Keeps Our Communities Safe!

Our Favorite Places - Part 1

Recreation... Play.... Wonder... Wellness.

Fog Table Fun

These words are all closely related... Think about a time when you felt really energized and physically whole.  What had you been doing?  Where had you been?  There's a ton of research linking play with wellness and learning.  If you have time for a good read, Stuart Brown's book, Play, is well written and inspiring. 

We pass on the things that are important to us... this includes places.

One of my favorite places in the world is the Montshire Museum in Norwich, VT.  When I was a kid it was just a few rooms in what may have been an office building in Hanover, NH.  Even as a little tiny museum it was a place of wonder for me.  Why... because I could touch things and play with ideas without getting in trouble- you never forget your first time exploring an owl pellet.  While the Montshire has physically changed dramatically, it's philosophy has remained intact.  The Montshire is a state of the art interactive science museum devoted to playful discovery and...

They've just made this experience much more accessible!  Families receiving EBT, Medicaid/Dr. Dynosaur, and Free/Reduced lunch can now get an annual membership for $15/year or pay just $2/person for a day pass.  All families need to do is show their card or letter from their school lunch program at the desk to get this price.  

So consider planning your trip today ... 

Playing with Turbulence

Tips for a great Montshire Trip -

• It's about 2 hours for most of us in the Lamoille Valley. Bathroom Stops - Interstate 91 - Exit 17 Wells River - P&H Truckstop is easy to get in and out and has clean bathrooms.  Interstate 89  Southbound - Rest Area between Exits 5 & 4.  Interstate 89 Northbound - Rest Area between exits 1 & 2.
• Carpooling with a friend makes the time pass.
• You can bring your own lunch or during warmer weather there's a small outside cafe. There are vending machines in a pinch.
• If you're visiting Memorial Day into September bring a towel and bathing suit/change of clothes as there is a really fun water exploration area out back.
• The Montshire has some really nice hiking trails, so think about good shoes/sandals.
• Plan to spend at least a couple of hours. Even when the kids were little we'd leave the Lamoille Valley around 8:00 and get there, have a snack in the car, and be there around 10:00 for opening.  Play/explore for a couple hours, have a picnic lunch, go for a hike, come back and revisit one or two of our favorite exhibits, hit the bathrooms, and the kids would nap as we headed back North.
• Decide in advance if you're going to visit the gift shop. Unlike some museums, you do not have to exit through the giftshop.  You can often find something for a dollar or two if you decide you want to go there.
• There are lots of fun photo opts as your kids play... but don't forget to pack up the camera and have fun too!
• Go up the stairs to the 3rd/4th floor observatory... there are surprises along the way.  We had been going several years before I discovered these gems.  The staff do a great job keeping it exciting. - We still love to go!
• Seek the staff out if you need anything. The staff are very helpful and kid friendly... They didn't make me feel badly when Nate threw up all over the carpet on one of our visits... or the puddle of pee on another visit...
• Check the schedule board when you arrive - they often have great little guided experiments throughout the day.
• Have fun!

Thank you to Lily at the Morrisville District Office of the Agency of Human Services for sharing Montshire's Poster. 

What were you thinking?

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"  

This may well be one of the foundational parental anthems as our kids mature. You know the types of things that just leave you shaking your head.... Our kids' regular everyday decisions may leave us questioning, but add alcohol or drugs and their brain's abilities get really scrambled.  

On Thursday, April 24th Michael Nerney will present "Alcohol, Drugs and the Brain." at our annual Time to Talk About Youth Event for Alcohol Awareness Month.   This event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Hazen Union High School in Hardwick, VT.  Hazen Union is providing dinner.  Please RSVP by emailing healthylamoille@gmail.com.  This event is free and open to the public.

Hazen Union may be a drive for many of us, but I've heard from many that Michael's presentations are well worth the trip.  He is a dynamic speaker who captures the attention of his audiences with interesting stories, relevant facts, and useful tips.  This is definitely an event that you and your teen would enjoy together.  

However, you do not need to be a parent of a teen to find value in this event.  Teachers, grandparents, medical personnel, and community members will gain knowledge that will help you encourage youth and support parents in your communities. Parents with younger children benefit from knowing the facts early. When you know the facts you can naturally talk to your kids about tough issues at times when they're likely to listen and engage.  

Michael Nerney

So just who is Michael Nerney and why should you consider coming out on April 24th?

Michael Nerney is a consultant in Substance Abuse Prevention and Education, with over thirty-three years' experience in the field.  As the former Director of the Training Institute of Narcotic and Drug Research, Inc. (NDRI), his responsibilities included the management of a statewide training system which delivered more than 450 training programs to substance abuse treatment and prevention professionals annually.  During this time, Mr. Nerney wrote and was awarded a federal grant under the Youth-At-Risk Act, to design and deliver training programs for residential facilities within the New York State Division for Youth.  Under this grant, a dedicated team designed and provided five programs related to substance abuse, including an Overview of Substance Abuse, Adolescent Concerns, Chemically Dependent Family Systems, Relapse Prevention, and Prevention Strategies.  Mr. Nerney's particular areas of expertise include Psycho-pharmacology, Adolescent Chemical Dependency, Relapse Prevention, Gender Differences in Communication, and Managing Violent Incidents.  He has written both participant and trainer manuals for the programs mentioned above, as well as a number of others.              

Mr. Nerney's understanding of adolescent issues is drawn from twelve years' experience as a teacher and coach at the junior high and high school levels, including three years with the Adirondack Mountain School, a residential school for boys.  He went on to add four years' experience in the chemical dependency field as a substance abuse counselor and Director of the Drug Abuse Prevention Council in Hamilton County, NY, before joining the staff of NDRI in 1984.  He is a certified instructor in violence prevention and management with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI).  Mr. Nerney recently served as the consultant in the development of the learning centers for the Eckert Drug Quiz Show in New York State.  He has been a consultant for two of the major television networks and has appeared on the ABC program “20/20”. 

Michael Nerney is an internationally known lecturer, and has served as consultant to a number of federal and state agencies, including the federal Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the New York State Education Department, Department of Social Services, Division for Youth, Department of Correctional Services, Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, Division of Parole, Division of Criminal Justice Services, Capital Defender's Office and Governor's Office of Employee Relations.  Mr. Nerney has provided consultation on drug courts and other areas of technical assistance to correctional systems in forty-nine states across the country.  He is the father of four children.

Will you come?  

April 24th, 5:30-7:30, Hazen Union High School, Hardwick, VT