Shrewsbury – The Shrewsbury Community Coalition (SCC) has been formed to reduce youth substance use and to create a safer community. Through this program, community leaders, youth, parents, business, law enforcement, school and public service officials, health care professionals, faith-based organizations, media, state and local government agencies, social service providers and other community representatives have joined forces to work collaboratively to identify and implement strategies to decrease substance abuse and its consequences and impact among youth and adults in Shrewsbury. The ultimate goals for the coalition are to (1) reduce substance use among youth; (2) increase collaboration in the community; (3) change attitudes and social norms; and (4) to increase youth protective factors.
In response to the opioid crisis and other risk factors, the coalition was formed in October and has been meeting monthly to conduct a community assessment. The information gathered is being used to design and select interventions and strategies that are relevant to Shrewsbury. The coalition is working on building a 12-month action plan and a multi-year strategic plan.
One of the first community initiatives will be to have an expert presentation in April. The key presenter will be Kevin P. Hill, M.D., M.H.S., an addiction psychiatrist at McLean Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Hill is a leading marijuana addiction specialist and author of “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed.” The presentation will also include a panel of experts to take questions and answers.
For more information, contact Terry Cassidy, executive director, Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services, Inc., at [email protected] or 508-845-6932, ext. 301.
