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Thursday, September 08, 2011

August Meeting Notes

Several new or returning members including Trudy Dould from Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center, Chuck Scholl, and Patti Kiewil were welcomed.


Amy Feeley-Knuuttila facilitated the meeting and introduced herself and Katie White as new staff members/team coordinators for GCAT.


Many members expressed interest in better understanding the scope/purpose of the grant…further information on roles and responsibilities of members. Amy offered to design an orientation packet for the group to be emailed to all members. The coalition also requested training on structure and purpose of coalitions in general.


Need for structure discussed… it was brought to the coalitions attention that there should be form to the CAT structure…that SADD kids should be an integral part of team-work, but not necessarily placed in a leadership position.

A discussion of the “90 day temporary work plan” let the group know that all alcohol-related activities for the fiscal year had been completed, and that new activity should begin as soon as possible. Ideas were brought forward by the group and coordinator for Rx and Tobacco components, including…


• School based “party” in September to re-engage youth.


• Rx take back day #2


• Pre-prom activities.


• Presentation for parents and kids by GCAT and Police and SADD.


• Ultimately Rx drop-boxes (permanent) with disposal routine.


• Ways to advertize GCAT: MOC/Old English Village/Gardner Public Access TV.


Group discussed creation of “working logic-model” and work plan which Lt. Kevin Minns agreed to co-facilitate at next meeting.


There was a lengthy discussion about Prescription drugs as an emerging problem in the city and nationwide. One member discussed the possibility of looking into current medical reporting systems (in doctors’ offices and hospitals) that could track requests for and prescriptions for drugs. (Policy Change possibility) Lt. Minns mentioned the incidences of reports of Rx stolen so that people could show the report to a pharmacist to have the Rx refilled.


“Unofficial” Rx Subcommittee developed: Trudy Dould, Lt. Minns, Katie White, Patti Kiewil, and Bernie Sullivan.
There was a group discussion at the end of the meeting about the grant purpose and use of funding….what type of programs the funding can be used for, etc.


GCAT Sidewalk Sale presence discussed…volunteers requested. No present members were available to volunteer.


GCAT Staff to provide team members more information about grant scope and purpose at next meeting. Next meeting set for September 6th, 2011 from 3-6pm at NuCafe conference room. Prior to this meeting, beginning at 2:30 will be a brief orientation on community coalition purpose and structure.
Please call Amy Feeley-Knuuttila at 978-829-2425 with questions, or email afeeley@luk.org.

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Social Host Liability

What Is A Community Action Team?

LUK, Inc.’s Community Action Team (CAT) represents an initiative, funded by DPH Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, to help organize and mobilize select communities to reduce rates of underage drinking. CATs utilize a model known as Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA). Local data is used to inform activity selection. CATs look for trends in both school and police data. After identifying local trends, CATs plan activities from a menu of interventions with each option designed to decrease underage access to alcohol or to increase community awareness. Community teams monitor their actions by conducting surveys and/or examining the data for new trends. If/when selected activities don’t contribute to desired changes, CATs may adjust their respective action plans.The CATs employ environmental strategies to prevent underage drinking. Environmental strategies focus on increasing community protective factors while deceasing risk factors that influence underage drinking.

Strategic Prevention Framework

Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is a five step process (see below) developed by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to assist communities in building the infrastructure necessary for effective and sustainable prevention of substance use and abuse. Programs currently funded by BSAS in Massachusetts utilize this framework.SPF: The Five Step ProcessStep 1: AssessmentStep 2: Capacity BuildingStep 3: PlanningStep 4: ImplementationStep 5: monitoring and evaluatingKey Principles of the SPF· Follows a Public Health Approach· Focuses on change for entire populations (collections of individuals who have one or more personal or environmental characteristic in common)· Considers an entire range of factors that determine health· Is outcome-based· Follows a strategic planning process· Uses data throughout the process to make informed decisions.

CATs In Action

While each CAT is unique, they share common approaches, group maintenance functions, and responsibilities to BSAS. Shared group maintenance functions:

Agenda setting
Meeting facilitation
Minute-taking

Common responsibilities to BSAS to a shared set of activities (some examples include, but are not limited to):
Compliance Check
Shoulder Tap
Social Host Liability Training
Sticker Shock
One-on-one Interviews

Compliance Check
A Compliance Check usually involves the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) or the local Police Department. The purpose of the compliance check is to make certain that establishments selling alcohol are checking identification and selling responsibly according to Massachusetts State Law requirements. To complete a compliance check, preplanning is conducted around the partnership between CAT team members and out-of-area youth. The youth enter alcohol vending establishments and attempt to purchase alcohol. If the bar, restaurant or liquor store finalizes the transaction between the vendor and the youth under twenty-one years of age, the youth must walk with the item in hand and give it to the officials waiting outside the establishment. The youth reports the outcome of the transaction to the ABCC/officers and identify the establishment employee who served them. This person is informed by a ABCC/local Police Department representative that they have just committed a crime. A citation is immediately issued to the person and/or the establishment under the name of the license holder.

Shoulder Tap
A Shoulder Tap campaign involves youth (specifically anyone under twenty-one years of age) in association with liquor store owners and the local Police Department.To perform a shoulder tap, the youth position themselves outside the entrance door of a liquor store establishment and ask customers hypothetically: “We are under the age of twenty-one and cannot buy alcohol ourselves. If we were to ask you to buy us alcohol would you?” Depending on the answer from the customer the youth themselves would issue the person either a “YES” card or a “NO” card, along with a short verbal explanation about why purchasing alcohol for youth is wrong and against Massachusetts State Law

Social Host Liability Training
Social Host Liability Training is an activity usually accomplished in cooperation with the District Attorney or the local Police Department. The training includes reviewing the laws and regulations of regarding serving alcohol to minors on personal property and the liability that comes from alcohol being served on one’s own property without owner awareness. The District Attorney/local Police Department reviews the consequences of the Social Host Liability Laws.

Sticker Shock
A Sticker Shock campaign is an activity that involves adults and youth under age twenty-one entering stores to help raise awareness of underage drinking. With permission from the liquor store owners, youth and adult volunteers enter stores and apply stickers, specifically targeting cases of beer, and all alcohol beverages (excluding single bottles). The sticker must not obstruct the label. The stickers say things like “Hey You! It’s Illegal to Provide Alcohol to Anyone Under 21” and “Buyer Beware Don’t Provide Alcohol for Kids.”

One-on-One Interviews
One-on-One Interviews are an integral element of the CAT project. In a One-on-One Interview, a designated CAT member asks a series of questions to members of the community to get insight into the community at large. The questions are also designed to raise awareness and solicit feedback on project activities.