Record Participation at Substance Abuse Coalition Meeting

The Gulf County Substance Abuse Coalition enjoyed a record turnout at its Sept. 29 meeting at the Gulf Coast Community College Gulf/Franklin Center.

The standing-room-only crowd, comprised of parents, educators, community leaders and at least two dozen teenagers, signaled a turning point for the coalition, which has not received adequate community support since its founding over a year ago.

"I've had a lot of people come tonight who were appointed by someone else to come, and that's just wonderful," said the meeting's moderator, Carly Pickels.

Pickels coordinates the Substance Abuse Response Guide (SARG) grant, which finances the coalition's efforts to address Gulf County's underage drinking problem, with an eye towards prevention.

The Florida Department of Children and Families sponsors the grant, which is administered by the Gulf County School Board.

The coalition accomplished two important tasks at last Monday night's meeting - electing new officers and changing its official name to the "Gulf County Prevention Coalition."

Cindy Grant, of the Florida State University Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, recommended the name change to allow the coalition to address topics beyond underage drinking, such as suicide, teen pregnancy and tobacco addiction.

By expanding its outreach, the coalition can now pursue additional grants aimed at addressing these issues, with funding benefiting the Sheriff's office, school district, Healthy Start and other organizations.

The new officers are: Bernadette Hackett Nagy, chair; Rosa Feltrop, vice chair; and Cheryl Peak, secretary.

Port St. Joe High School students Kayla Minger and Sidney Love and Wewahitchka High School student Becca Barnes were elected to the teen board.

Several attendees indicated their willingness to serve on the assessment committee, which will review data pertaining to teenage alcohol abuse in the county.

School board member Linda Wood volunteered to chair the committee.

With several candidates for elected office attending the meeting, Pickels made her own "political promise."

"I promise not to ask anyone to do anything substantial until after the election," she said, noting that officers and committee members will only be asked to make, at most, a three-hour monthly commitment.

The future work of the coalition will include growing membership and developing an outcome-based community logic model.

Ultimately, the coalition will devise a plan for addressing the factors contributing to the rise of underage drinking in the county.

The next meeting of the Gulf County Prevention Coalition assessment committee will be Nov. 6 in Port St. Joe.  The meeting time and location will be announced at a future date.

For more information, contact SARG coordinator Carly Pickels at (850) 227-4913.

Gulf County Partnership

Regina Washabaugh, who heads the district's school health program, could not let coalition members leave the Sept. 29 meeting without making a final plea.

Washabaugh serves on the Gulf County Partnership, which unites representatives from the county's various health entities, including the Domestic Violence Task Force, Juvenile Justice, Healthy Start and school health program.

"We never get this kind of participation," said Washabaugh, noting the poor turnout at quarterly partnership meetings, which provide a wealth of information on topics such as unplanned pregnancy and diseases affecting the teen population.

"There's a scary number of diseases out there and we can't get the parents to participate," she said.

Noting the related problems of underage drinking and unplanned pregnancy - "If they're drunk, they can't make wise decisions" - Washabaugh asked coalition members to also support the Gulf County Partnership.

For those interested in attending future partnership meetings, contact the Gulf County Health Department, 850-227-1020.