Dr. Jasmine Clare, Psy. D., the Coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drug Services/College Counselor from William Paterson University presented about the effects that drug use has on adolescent brain and the challenge this creates for young people who seek treatment for addiction.

United for Prevention collaborated with the Passaic County Municipal Alliances and the Office of Superintendent of Schools to create the Passaic County Teen Summit. Students were able to apply the skills learned from the previous Teen Summit where they learned about PhotoVoice. During the Summit, students presented their own PhotoVoice projects.

United for Prevention held its 4th Annual Awards and Appreciation Breakfast. This event recognized and celebrated community partnerships, coalition members and elected officials. Guest speaker, Helen Varvi, Deputy Director of The Wellspring Center for Prevention spoke about "Engaging Parents in Prevention."

Rebecca Alfaro, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism spoke on Knock Out Opioid Day Adelaide Viguri, Associate Medical Director of Pain Management at St. Joseph’s Healthcare System spoke on Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) Cindymarie Dix, Senior Peer Service Coordinator at Eva’s Village spoke on Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP) Timothy P. McMahon, Special Agent in the Drug Enforcement Administration spoke on Operation Prevention

This course is an introduction to SBIRT. SBIRT is an evidence based practice that uses a public health approach to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic at-risk behavior(s), such as alcohol and drug use, within and across behavioral disciplines. As a comprehensive, integrated, public health and preventive approach, SBIRT is used to identify persons at-risk of a substance use disorder (SUD) before the onset of dependency and is additionally used to deliver referrals to persons who may qualify for a SUD diagnosis. This interactive training illustrates how SBIRT can be easily integrated into practice and also offers opportunities to develop and enhance SBIRT relevant skills.

Come learn how to combat stigma in your schools and community regarding mental health. We will be joined by our keynote speaker Maria Verna, MPAP from Rutgers Health- University Behavioral Health Care. We will be hosting workshops at this event.

In 2017, UpinPC advocated three new prescription medicine dropboxes including Clifton, Pompton Lakes, and Totowa. For a total of fifteen prescription medicine dropboxes collecting over 4,006 pounds of prescription medicine for Passaic County.