Representatives from the Rockville Centre Coalition for Youth recently returned from the Washington, D.C. area where they joined more than 2,700 substance abuse prevention specialists and advocates from throughout the country for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) 26th Annual National Leadership Forum.

“We were so excited to be able to spend several days with other similar organizations from across the country, learning and honing our prevention skills so our community can be a better place, one that doesn’t suffer from the harms of drug and alcohol abuse,” says Jeanne Mulry, Program Director of the Coalition “We returned re-energized with new strategies under our belt to tackle drug use in Rockville Centre.”

CADCA’s Forum covered a wide range of topics – everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse and the abuse of synthetic drugs and marijuana to how to create tobacco-free environments and develop policies to reduce underage and excessive drinking.

The Coalition has recently impacted the community supporting the forum on The Effects of Drugs of Abuse on the Teen Brain, by Dr. Stephen Dewey, Neuroscientist, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research at Northwell Health (formerly North Shore, LIJ), held at South Side High School, which attracted more than 800 parents and students, Coalition members, teachers and school administrators, eager to educate themselves on the dangers of teen substance abuse. Watch for our Coalition’s upcoming media campaign about the dangers of underage drinking and drug use, including our PSA, sticker shock and billboard campaigns.

The Coalition heard from several federal leaders including Michael Botticelli, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy and Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY), who received CADCA’s National Leadership Award at the event. Members of the Rockville Centre Coalition also met with U.S. representatives and senators at the CADCA Forum’s Capitol Hill Day event, including Representative Kathleen Rice and Senator Charles Schumer.

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum, the nation’s largest training conference for community prevention leaders, treatment professionals and researchers and SAMHSA’s 12th Prevention Day, occurred at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center Feb. 1-4. Visit the Forum website for details about training sessions, speakers, and special events at forum.cadca.org/.