An Ounce of Prevention

This episode is a frank discussion related to suicide. It is meant for professionals working to save lives through programs in their community. Dominick Grembi, Prevention Program Manager, at Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services, joined me to discuss what they do in his region to educate, remove means, provide CIT training, and expand access to mental health resources.

AskingSaves.org discussed in this podcast is a program of Region 3 of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services.

For more information, contact:

Dominick Grembi (he/him)
Prevention Program Manager
Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services
434-799-0456x3816
245 Hairston Street
Danville, VA 24540
www.dpcs.org

An Ounce of Prevention was schooled today by Dr. Donita Robinson, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Researcher in the Department of Psychiatry.  Dr. Robinson and her students study the brain in her lab at UNC, and from the looks of her website, they have fun doing it. https://www.med.unc.edu/alcohol/behavioral-and-pharmacological-neurodynamics-lab/

In a related link, check out the prevention work of the Roanoke Prevention Alliance at StartTheTalk.org.

I am taking a slight detour in this week's podcast, but you will find it interesting and relevant. I am talking with Carl Mack, a member of CVARR, Central Virginia Addiction Recovery Resources Coalition, a community-based group that connects people with recovery and prevention resources. Carl works for the Central Virginia Department of Health and is a peer recovery expert. He's also very creative when it comes to developing new programs based on research and community involvement.

I interviewed him recently for a CVARR video and thought it would make a great addition to An Ounce of Prevention. You can reach CVARR through their website at CVARR.org.

During Mental Health Month, we're talking to folks who work with at-risk kids. Also, Summer break from school is looming large in their minds. I spoke with Gabriella Smith and Grant Tomey with Horizon Behavioral Health (HBH). Grant is a licensed professional counselor who works in the schools and Gabriella is the Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator at HBH.

Contact either of our guests at: HorizonBH.org

The evidence for evidence-based treatment and prevention has to come from somewhere. Funding such research is expensive. According to Foundation of Hope Associate Executive Director Jennifer Gibson, their grants are like venture capital to researchers who need to provide proof of concept to larger funders.

Jennifer can be reached at:

Foundation of Hope
[email protected]
www.walkforhope.com

Piedmont Community Services is launching a campaign to "Activate Your Wellness." I sat down with Samantha Turner to learn more.

To visit their website, click here.  

Contact her at: 
Samantha Turner, MPH, RDN, CHES
Health Initiative Coordinator - Piedmont Community Services
[email protected]


Learn more about Activate Your Wellness at https://www.virginiapreventionworks.org/activate/

As the host, I am on a mission to discover what people are doing in the field of prevention. I am not a trained prevention specialist, so I rely completely on my guests to bring their expertise to this conversation.

If you are interested in being a guest, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Gambling is everywhere, especially with the explosion of sports betting. But when does gambling become a problem, and how can you tell? I spoke with Don McCourtney and Anne Rogers of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services about how Virginia is supporting treatment and helping communities educate the public.

Adam Neal, Prevention and Wellness Specialist, and Director of the Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC) spoke with me about the nationwide issue of Fentanyl and what his community is doing to limit access to medications and reduce the possibilities of misuse, especially among children and youth. National Drug Take Back Day is April 27th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Citizens are encouraged to drop off left-over and used prescriptions to keep them out of circulation.

"I don't know about you, Tim, but my grandma, you know, whenever I said I had a headache, she'd reach into her purse and, hand me a Tylenol or whatever she had ready to go," said Adam. "We don't need to normalize this behavior anymore."

Adam shares what his community is doing to combat the problem and what people can do to help.

After working with prevention specialists for more than ten years, I created this podcast to explore the work of these community heroes. In the first episode, we explore the meaning of prevention and how it is applied to efforts to educate communities about substance use and other risky behaviors. 

My guest is Shelia Lythgoe, a Prevention Specialist with Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare in Roanoke, Virginia.

Visit one of their many prevention websites for more information.

StartTheTalk.org
Raysac.org
PreventProblemGambling.org
RoanokePreventionAlliance.org
FWRoanoke.org