Substance Abuse Prevention
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Prevention approaches in a community provide many strategies to assist an individual to grow with a positive mindset and develop the knowledge and skills they need to make positive choices to live a healthy lifestyle for themselves, their family, and their community.
Substance abuse prevention is about delaying the first use of any substance. Individual, environmental, and genetic factors play a large role in preventing substance use in one’s life. Because of these factors, it takes a community to counter-balance these with protective factors. The information below gives insight on prevention steps in Morrow County.
School Programs
Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention Education
Recovery and Prevention Resources offer at no charge a 10-week evidence/research based violence or substance abuse program to schools in Morrow County grades K-9. They schedule with classroom teachers and school guidance counselors.
Substance use and its effect on the body are introduced when developmentally appropriate. In the youngest grades, the lessons develop an understanding of what is healthy to put in the body and what is not. This foundation prepares students for discussions about tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use in later elementary years.
These courses include:
• Safe Use of Medicines: Grades K-5
• Effects of Tobacco Use: Grades 2-5
• Effects of Alcohol Use: Grades 3-5
• Effects of Marijuana Use: Grade 5
Agency: Helpline
Program: Signs of Suicide
Program Description: The program provides a movie and presentation to teach students the warning signs of suicide and how to reach out for help for themselves or for a friend. A pre- and post-test are given to measure the retention of content. The agency also screens for depression and or suicidal idealization.
Agency: Syntero
Summary of Services: Syntero provides prevention services to the four Morrow County public schools, grades K-12, and the Tomorrow Center. Prevention services are time limited brief interventions focused on building skills to prevent the onset or worsening of common mental health concerns. Prevention services can be provided on an individual basis, small groups, universal classroom presentations, professional development for teachers, or crisis response following a school tragedy.
Naloxone Trainings
Narcan (Naloxone), a medication-assisted treatment (MAT), is used to prevent overdoses from opioids such as heroin or such prescription medication as oxycodone or morphine. Based off the number of opioid use disorder deaths among residents in Morrow County and Ohio and other agency data, Maryhaven and the Morrow County Health District collaborate on providing Naloxone trainings and kits to individuals in the community. For more information on Naloxone trainings, please contact Maryhaven at 419-946-6734.
Drug Take Back Events
The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office collaborates with Kroger and Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention (DAAP) to conduct a Drug Take Back event in the spring and fall. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescriptions drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the medicine cabinet. The Drug Take Back events are held to lower the misuse/abuse of medication, prevent contaminating the environment from improper disposal, and prevent accidental poisoning or overdose. If an individual is unable to attend The Drug Take Back events, they can drop their unused medication off at one of the two drop boxes in Morrow County. The drop boxes are located in the lobby of the Morrow County Sheriff’s office and the Cardington Village Police Department. They are accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
*Any unused or expired medications may be placed in the secure drop box. NO LIQUIDS OR SYRINGES ARE ACCEPTED.
Total pounds collected includes material from the two drop boxes located at The Sheriff's Office and the Cardington Village Police. The two drop boxes are emptied and weighed on the same day as the Drug Take Back event.
Medication Disposal Project
According to the 2016 Morrow County Community Health Assessment, 52% of Morrow County residents improperly disposed of unused prescription medications. 9% of Morrow County adults, and 7% of Morrow County youth, used medication not prescribed to them or took more than prescribed to feel good or to get high.
Based on the data, one of The Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention-DAAP of Morrow County goal is to reduce the misuse/abuse of prescription and over the counter medications. DAAP’s goal includes reducing the availability of prescription and over the counter medications by increasing the pounds of medication collected at the drug take back events and drop boxes and decreasing the number of community members who inappropriately dispose of their unused/expired medication through educational and environmental strategies.
DAAP collaborates with many community leaders in the county working on the same goal. To reduce the misuse/abuse of medication, free lockboxes will be available, in the Spring of 2019, for residents to lock up their medication. Medication disposal bags and education material on how to properly dispose of medications are available at local pharmacies, medical facilities and other businesses. For more information on free lockboxes, please contact DAAP coordinator at 419-946-2009.
About the Data
• Narcan kit data was gathered from the Maryhaven and Morrow County Health Districts, based on their Naloxone training program.
• Drug Take-Back Events data was supplied by the Morrow County Sheriff's Department.
• Drug Disposal data is from Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention of Morrow County.
Additional Resources
• Start Talking!: Ohio's Drug Prevention Program for Youths
• Ohio's Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone)
• Safe Disposal of Medicines: What You Should Know
• Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission
• Morrow County Sheriff's Office
• Recovery and Prevention Resources
• Maryhaven (assists with Naloxone trainings)
• Syntero: Care, Counsel, Support
• Helpline: Suicide Prevention
• Delaware Morrow Mental Health Recovery Service Board
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