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WHO CARES about a Drug-Free Doña Ana County?
WE DO!
Unified Prevention! Coalition for a Drug-Free Doña Ana Community A community that's aware is a community that cares.
We invite you to read recent articles from the Las Cruces Sun-News below:
(to return to this page, please click on the "back" button in the pdf file)
February, 2013: The New Mexico Human Services Department, Behavioral Health Services Division, Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP) will implement the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Partnerships for Success II (PFS II) initiative in five communities around the state:
- Doña Ana County
- Grant County
- Lea County
- Luna County
- McKinley County
The program is based on the premise that changes at the community level will, over time, lead to measurable changes at the State level. To meet the goals of the SPF-PFS II program, New Mexico will continue to build capacity to implement the five-step, outcome-based and data-driven Strategic Prevention Framework. Preparing for the RFP Two community meetings will be held prior to the release of the OptumHealth RFP. The meeting will aim to prepare the best possible applicant in each county. This project will focus on the development and use of partnerships and collaboration to accomplish grant outcomes. Using a coalition or partnership structure improves sustainability of outcomes and efforts, and promotes multi-sector collaboration.
 August 30, 2012: Las Cruces Elks Lodge 1119 presented a $2,000 check to Stephanie Armitage, coalition coordinator for Unified Prevention! (UP!) Coalition for a Drug-Free
Doña Ana County, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico on August 30, 2012. The grant will be used for a Prom Safe event scheduled for all high school students. Last year, UP! sponsored both a coupon book full of discounts to local businesses and an after prom midnight movie in an effort to keep teens safe, whether or not they attended prom, during a time that often includes high levels of drinking among teens. The booklets were handed out to students after they watched one of four Teen Safe Movies. The movies, created to educate teens on the dangers of drinking and drug use, included Smash, Risk, High and Party 101. In 2013, the UP! Prom Safe committee will use the $2,000 gift to create a similar event to this year's in an effort to help guide teens away from drinking and drug use.
Pictured at left are Stephanie Armitage, Coordinator, UP! Coalition and Elks Lodge Member Mr. Kim Hayes.
 On Nov.1, 2012, Richard Williams, member of the CFSNM Board of Directors, presented the UP! Coalition's Youth, Community Partner, Campus Outreach, Radio Media Outreach, Journalistic Outreach, Media Education Outreach, Civic Volunteer Group, High School Outreach, Supporting Positive Youth Initiatives and Champion of the Year Awards.
Champion of the Year was awarded to Michelle Ugalde, chair of the UP! Coalition and deputy of community relations for the DAC Sheriff's Department. In addition, Ugalde was responsible for bringing G.R.E.A.T., a gang resistance, education and training program, to the area in 2005. Her tireless work with the UP! Coalition has allowed the coalition to increase outreach and impact within the community.
Other honorees included: Youth of the Year: Haddie Garrison, Las Cruces High School; Brigette Moody, Oñate High School and Devin DeSilva, Mayfield High School. Community Partner of the Year: Comcast Spotlight. Campus Outreach of the Year: Delta Zeta Sorority. Radio Media Outreach of the Year: Amanda Askin Lopez with KSNM 570 AM. Journalistic Outreach of the Year: Elle Write Communications. Media Education Outreach of the Year: KRWG-TV and the Las Cruces Sun-News. High School Outreach of the Year: Kelly Koerper of Oñate High School's SADD program and Julie Robb of Mayfield High School's SADD program. Supporting Positive Youth Initiatives: Allen Theaters and Valley Pizza. Civic Volunteer Group of the Year: Elks Lodge #1119.
"Smashed: Youth, Brains and Alcohol" documentary is produced by Emmy Award winning Christopher Productions. This documentary examines recent brain research that indicates binge drinking during adolescence can have lifelong negative effects. The documentary provides brain research experts, counselors and youth who discuss the reasons for concern and ways to help. The program highlights how the brain is affected by alcohol assault, the effect of alcohol on athletic performance and how advertising influences not only decisions about alcohol consumption but its influence on how we think alcohol affects our behavior.
To view a trailer on this documentary, please visit: www.safeteennm.org/issues.html#smashed
For more information on the documentary, visit www.SafeTeen.net or www.ChristopherProductions.org
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 Saturday, September 29, 2012, DEA's state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, working at more than 5,263 locations, collected 488,395 pounds (244 tons) of prescription medications from members of the public. When added to the collections from DEA's previous four Take-Back events, more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of prescription medications were removed from circulation. The coalition helped host one of the seven drop off sites in Southern New Mexico. The Elks Lodge donated their facilities, food and drinks, The Las Cruces Police Department and DAC Sheriffs Department had Indent-a child at the take back site. IMWE-WS-HBS Substance Abuse Program donated the use of both of their Simulated Impaired DriviNg Experience®, or SIDNE®, a battery-powered vehicle that simulates the effects of distraction and impairment from alcohol and other drugs on a motorist's driving skills.
September 22, 2012: the coalition worked with MADD out of Albuquerque to host a 5k Walk/Run. It was the first walk MADD had hosted in Las Cruces and the first run in New Mexico. The funds raised at the walk will be used in Dona Ana County. UP! helped coordinate the event and will help guide MADD in where the fund are needed in Dona Ana County. We exceeded our goal of $8,000 and raised $9,669 and had a total of 225 registered participants! UP! was featured on Channel 4 news at 10:30 Sept 21st to talk about the walk. Farrell Root played at the walk and there were multiple vendors at the community fair.
The Border Region Coalition draws from many sectors of the community: Law Enforcement, Youth Organizations, Government Agencies, State and Local Substance Abuse Agencies, Parents, Youth, Businesses, Media Groups, Civic Organizations, Schools, Faith Community and Healthcare Professionals. August 23, 2012: ten youth from the Coalition participated in a SKYPE form at New Mexico State University's KRWG 22 for a live portion ot the No Exceptions broadcast highlighting pain killer addiction on a state wide broadcast at 7:00-8:00 pm to talk about prescription drug abuse by teens.
PARENTS: You can help your children and their friends make the right choices concerning the use of alcohol and drugs by promoting your home as a "Responsible Host" house, a place where teens will not be exposed to these substances. Please click here for a downloadable form that you can print out, add your signature and display in your home.
For information on how you can donate or become a member of UP! the Border Region Coalition, contact Stephanie Armitage at the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico today!
stephanie@cfsnm.org or 575-521-4794.
This program was made possible by the Office of National Drug Policy (ONDCP) and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA).
Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) was enacted in 1997 to provide grants to
community-based coalitions like ours to serve as catalysts for multi-sector
participation in reducing local substance abuse problems.
| 39.0% |
Felt sad and hopeless |
22.5% |
Seriously considered suicide |
| 23.4% |
Currently smoke |
16.2% |
Tried smoking before they were 13 years of age |
| 7.2% |
Use smokeless tobacco |
53.5% |
Currently drink alcohol |
| 33.3% |
Report binge drinking |
26.9% |
Had their first alcoholic beverage before age 13 |
| 21.6% |
Currently use marijuana |
67.7% |
Report being able to get alcohol easily |
| 9.5% |
Have used cocaine in the last 30 days |
8.9% |
Have used inhalants in the past 30 days |
| 36.0% |
Are currently sexually active |
53.0% |
Are not using condoms |
No Exceptions, produced by multiple Emmy Award winning director, Chris Schueler, is a half hour documentary exploring how everyone is susceptible to opioid addiction, including teens. For many of the youth in the documentary, addiction started with a visit to the dentist or doctor where opioids were prescribed for pain associated with an injury or dental procedure.
No Exceptions, including the SKYPE forum, was presented by SafeTeen New Mexico, UP!, New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department, Bernalillo County Substance Abuse Prevention Program, New Mexico Human Services Department, New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, New Mexico Behavioral Health Collaborative, UNM College of Pharmacy, Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico, Cooperative Educational Services, State Farm Insurance, New Mexico Mutual, New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators and the New Mexico School Boards Association in association with KOB-TV, KENW-TV, KRWG-TV and the New Mexico PTA. The teens discussed ways they can fight the battle against teens and opiod (Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin) drug use, specifically by answering questions specific the documentary, including the ways they stay out of the situation in the first place; how they avoid drugs at parties or from friends and the key things to understand about opiod use from a youth perspective. The Coalition organized the SKYPE event for the Las Cruces Location and ten youth participated in a live broadcast on NMSU's KRWG 22 on August 23rd, 2012, to talk about prescription youth by teens.
The Border Region Coalition strives to provide a venue for community collaboration and support prevention efforts from every available community resource. We are working to make sure that every child in Doña Ana County has the opportunity to live a life free of drugs and alcohol. By establishing and strengthening collaboration between communities, private non-profit agencies, and federal, state, local and tribal governments, we can focus the efforts of community colitions on preventing and reducing substance abuse among young people
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