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 The Healthy Communities team wishes everyone a Happy Pride Month in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) identities! |
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Health Department attends city of Snohomish's first Pride event On Saturday, June 3, the city of Snohomish kicked off LGBTQ+ Pride month by hosting its first ever Pride event in downtown Snohomish. The event included a parade, street festival and kids' fair, bingo, wine walk, and queer cabaret. Kayla O'Bryan (Health Educator) and Tina Albedyll (Disease Intervention Specialist) tabled at the event and shared valuable information on STI/STD testing, safe sex, and county resources. |
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Increasing student awareness about the risks of vaping Between April and May, Jana Rafi (Health Educator) and Brittany Bevis-Sciuto (Healthy Communities Specialist) presented information about vaping to approximately 1,500 middle school and 5th grade students across Snohomish County in two school districts. Inspired by Stanford’s You and Me Together Vape Free curriculum, the presentations included information about how vaping impacts the heart and lungs, how nicotine interacts with the brain, mental health and stress reduction strategies, and tobacco industry marketing. Vaping continues to be a pervasive health issue among youth in Snohomish County. We know that kids vape for a variety of reasons – attempting to cope with stress and anxiety, peer influence and peer pressure, modeling behaviors they observe at home, enticing flavors… the list goes on. Vaping is a complex issue, which calls for a multi-faceted approach to prevention. With our community partners, the Healthy Communities team is actively working toward implementing prevention strategies that center mental health, strengthening protective factors, and uplifting youth voices.
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Support Washington youth with prevention, not punishment The Washington State Public Health Association developed an infographic (below) explaining the difference between a prevention and punishment approach to youth tobacco enforcement. Purchase, use, and possession (PUP) laws that penalize youth for having addictive tobacco or vape products are outdated and an ineffective strategy for reducing youth smoking and vaping. Instead, the focus should be on holding retailers accountable for not selling to youth. Other prevention-based solutions include funding and providing community-based services, youth prevention, and retailer education to reduce tobacco/vape initiation and use. Preventing Use of Vapor and Tobacco Products by Minors, ESSB 5365, was passed and signed into law earlier this year during the 2023 Legislative Session. Here is a summary of the bill: - Modifies the authority for detainment so that only a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) enforcement officer may detain youth under 18 years old for purchasing, using, or possessing cigarette, tobacco, or vapor products when observed within 100 feet of a licensed cigarette, tobacco, or vapor product retailer.
- Amends the penalties of a class 3 civil infraction for youth under 18 years old purchasing, using, or possessing cigarette, tobacco, or vapor products.
- Allows LCB to increase monetary penalties on licensed retailers for violations related to selling or giving cigarette, tobacco, or vapor products to youth and adults under 21 years old.
To learn more in-depth about ESSB 5365, read the bill's Health Impact Review. If your school is interested in learning more about a prevention instead of punishment approach to its discipline policies around substance use, check out the resource below for a Best Practice Audit available at no cost from Cascadia Youth Mental Health. Click here to submit an inquiry form. |
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 Washington State Public Health Association, 2023 |
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Case studies and best practices: Strategies to reduce youth overdoses In the United States, opioid overdose and hospitalization rates are growing fast among teenagers and young adults. According to the CDC, the youth opioid overdose and hospitalization rate rose nearly fourfold between 2010 and 2021. In California, fentanyl deaths accounted for more than 80 percent of all drug-related deaths among young people in 2021. The key to saving young people's lives, reducing opioid use and getting youth engaged in treatment programs? According to our research, it's engaging youth from the start and trusting them as experts with their peers. National Harm Reduction Coalition worked with California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN) to fund multi-sector coalitions throughout the state in 2022 and focused on supporting coalitions in harm reduction services and approaches for youth. Lessons Learned: In multiple communities, overdose deaths of young people ages 12-20 were motivating factors to seek out harm reduction education. - Lack of Understanding
- In multiple communities, coalition members did not have a true understanding or grasp on youth drug use, so involving youth or youth-led organizations could provide key stakeholders and experts to enhance and expand this work.
- Punishment vs. Education
- Drug education for young people has historically been punitive and relied on strict, unexplained prohibition of drugs which only stigmatizes students and denies them access to honest lifesaving information.
- Include Parents & Teachers
- Harm reduction for youth inherently involves working with parents, teachers, and other adults that engage with young people.
- Build Relationships with Schools
- Coalitions that built relationships with schools were able to embed more into sustainable structures of education. Coalitions were successful in implementing naloxone training for teachers and bringing in consultants to create curricula.
For more information and to read the full article, click here.
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School nurse immunization updates
With the 2022-23 school year quickly coming to an end, now is a great time to gather information and send families reminders about the updated vaccine requirements for the 2023-24 school year. This link from the Department of Health provides details of the immunization requirements as well as resources for sending letters, navigating outbreaks, and utilizing the WAIIS school module. In addition, while Tdap is the only required immunization for 7th grade entry, HPV and Meningococcal should still be recommended to provide protection to your students and others from harmful vaccine preventable diseases. Providing education around these recommended vaccines can raise awareness and improve immunization rates. To learn more about recommended HPV and Meningococcal disease and vaccines: Mobile Health Clinic Opportunity: The Care-a-Van is a mobile health clinic that serves people across Washington state with the goal of increasing access to vaccines for priority communities. If your school is interested in this mobile clinic for childhood vaccines, please submit this Care-a-Van request form. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our vaccine health educator, Kaija Corry, by email at kaija.corry@co.snohomish.wa.us or by phone at 425-231-0440. |
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Upcoming professional development opportunities for educators The Northwest Educational Service District (NWESD) offers several opportunities for Professional Development. Topics include Administration, Behavioral Health & Prevention, Career & Technical Education (CTE), Health & Wellness, Paraprofessional, Special Needs, Technology, NWRDC, and more. You can view the classes they offer by visiting the class listing or class calendar on pdEnroller, their registration management and clock hour system. The NWESD also offers asynchronous Canvas courses for clock hours if you are looking for flexible online learning opportunities. The NWESD's dedicated online learning coordinator, Polly Myers, is focused on creating courses for teachers, paraeducators, principals, and other educational staff who want to earn clock hours or enhance their professional development in a variety of subjects. Ongoing opportunities: - Rosie the Riveter, Wendy the Welder, and Manufacturing Opportunities is a fully asynchronous course that looks at the history behind women in manufacturing and present opportunities. The course offers an opportunity for either 6 STEM or Equity credits.
- Earth Observation Games and Tools is a fully asynchronous course that examines earth observation tools such as interactive maps from NASA, USGS, the Cascades Volcano Observatory, and NOAA, and games such as GeoGuessr and Puzzler. The course offers an opportunity for 3 STEM clock hours.
- Women in STEM is a fully asynchronous course that provides an overview of women in STEM fields and teaching strategies for promoting equity in STEM fields. The course offers an opportunity for either 6 STEM or Equity clock hours.
You can view all NWESD online opportunities here. |
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If you are interested in downloading a copy of the flyer shown above to share and display, please click here. Have a happy and healthy summer! |
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