Wilmington Eyes Coalition to Combat Increased Drug Concerns
Health Director Shelly Newhouse is in the initial stages of forming the drug coalition.
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Editor’s Note: The following is Part Two in Wilmington Patch’s five part series on drug use in Wilmington. In Part One on Monday we provided a look at how much of an issue town officials and police believe drugs are in town. Check back throughout the week for more stories, and to find all five stories in one place, you can visit the topic page for our drug series.
Town officials and police have identified drug use as one of the problems facing Wilmington residents. Now they’ve found what they hope to be a solution to that problem.
Director of Public Health Shelly Newhouse is leading the charge in forming a local drug coalition that would bring together representatives from the school system, Wilmington Police Department, local government and community at large in an effort to fight what has become a growing concerning in town.
“I hope that with the coalition, we can give parents a good resource,” said Newhouse. “You can have an organization with hundreds of people involved that can go nowhere. What I want to do is get the right people involved to see if we can make a difference.”
Newhouse is still in the early stages of planning, but she hopes to apply for a grant in January that would allow her to use federal funds that are allocated for communities to change strategies in an effort to reduce substance abuse.
Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton said she is meeting with Newhouse, Wilmington High School principal Eric Tracy and Middle School principal Christine McMenimen this week to discuss the coalition. At the next School Committee meeting, Benton will have a report on what the district is doing to combat drug use.
“These are issues that communities fight all the time, and it takes an entire community to work with these issues and problems,” said Tracy. “Especially with young adults who are getting caught up in this, it seems to be a good way to push information out to all avenues. The more connections that are made and more information that is out there is a benefit, and that’s the No. 1 priority.”
Board of Selectmen chairman Michael Newhouse said he believes board members would be open to the idea of a coalition if it were presented to them.
“I’m all ears in terms of what some of the remedies to this problem should be,” he said. “Education, self-awareness, and being familiar with the signs of drug use are critical. That stuff is really important as a parent.”
Shelly Newhouse originally brought up the topic at the Board of Health meeting two weeks ago, and she received unanimous support from board members to go forward with the idea.
The Health Director said that she has worked in town for nearly 16 years, and that she has seen a significant increase in drug issues.
According to Newhouse, a big key is beginning drug prevention discussions at the middle school level. She said the conversation with that age group should focus heavily on avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, which Newhouse said can be a gateway to drug use.
“It’s something that is an issue across the whole state,” said Newhouse. “It raises our awareness and shows us that we need to do something about it now.”
Police Chief Michael Begonis said the most critical aspect of drug awareness is getting people involved from different areas of the community.
“Like anything, if you have a single conversation and that’s all, you’re opening up for potential disaster,” said Begonis. “True change is institutionalized. It’s a paradigm shift in how you do things.”
In This article
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Wilmington Police Department
1 Adelaide St, Wilmington, MA -
Wilmington High School
159 Church St, Wilmington, MA -
Wilmington Middle School
25 Carter Ln, Wilmington, MA
Mary Giroux
9:43 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
While I applaud Wilmington making the effort to combat this and come up with a program. I think you are being naive that cigarettes and alcohol are what you should focus on. These drugs are easier to get than cigarettes and beer. They are cheaper too. They are very cleverly introduced by the people who deal them. They know exactly how to get someone hooked and then it is game over. They are everywhere. This is WAY bigger than cigarettes and alcohol. Wake up.
Liane
3:54 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I agree with Mary way bigger than alcohol and cigarettes. Sounds like a good program, how about starting it with a recovering addict or a parent of one.
Natalie D
7:58 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I agree, Mary. The sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors may be easier to enforce & more profitable for the community (in the form of fines) but it is hardly the issue that strikes fear in my heart. Illicit drugs are a much larger concern to me as a parent... illicit drugs and abused prescription medication. The town is probably looking for a result based approach & cracking down on what is easily enforced will produce results faster but will barely graze the surface of the real issue. Maybe we could all brainstorm ideas for solutions to the real problem instead of being critical of the solutions on the table? What are some ideas for combating the real issue? Someone mentioned a neighborhood watch program a few weeks ago. Perhaps we could bring 21 Jump Street to modern day Wilmington? I don't know... but addressing that we have a problem is the right first step & I commend the town officials for making the issue a priority.
Stacie
10:15 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I agree with Mary. I also think the DARE Program should be in the face of every student at the Middle School. What happened to all the commercials we used to see about the EGG and this is your Brain on Drugs??
Valerie
10:36 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Mary has it 100% correct! Why don't you clear the drug dealers from the Shawsheen Elementary School field and the kids who party there at night in the parking lot and woods.....then head down to the Lake and see what goes on there at night.....and hang out at the shell station on Lowell St and 38.....see how many drug deals to kids go on there..... I see it alot and never see police there when they should be. Also you know who the dealers are......arrest them....raid their house.... something needs to be done.
JoeC
5:38 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
They too busy harassing other residence over petty things like minor warrants and 5 miles over the speed limit etc.
webmom
11:23 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
There is a very fine line between teaching kids awareness...and creating a spark of curiosity. My daughters graduated DARE years ago and tell me now that they learned about a lot of new and exciting new drugs in those classes, drugs they never heard of (and the wine coolers sounded so delicious, sweet). After those classes, a lot of kids said 'oooo that sounds like fun, we should try that'. Some kids sounded excited to try something that would make them seem older and cool.
So, absolutely, we need to teach kids the dangers of drug use, but we really need to identify when we cross the line into making it seem like something grown up and cool that they want to try. Right after DARE graduation, it's in the middle school years that kids start trying these things. And I'm not sure, but it seems right after middle school, many kids can walk over to the plaza and buy what they want. By the time high school rolls around, there's already a problem.
Wayne Sullivan
11:31 am on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Great points...maybe some of you can offer to volunteer to be part of the coalition and bring all your passionate ideas to the table. So many are good at identifying problems, but what are you willing to do to be part of the greater cause and not just your personal situation? This problem is bigger than all of us. Time is always an issue and we all know someone who has dealt with this issue as a parent, a sibling or whatever. The question is how do you get beyond each individual experience and influence change? Not so easy and doing something is better than nothing. If you have ideas, please get further involved.
Townie
3:40 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Wow..... Comment 4 makes me wish you needed a license to be a parent. Stop the world I want to get off.
Kevin N
4:20 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
You will be missed.
G. Bradford
1:02 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
What do you suggest is a better solution?
Townie
3:58 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Actually 4 and 5. That is all
Christine
5:44 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Does the WPS do an anonymous survey about high risk behavior? It would be helpful to know when(time of day)
and how kids gain access to drugs/alcohol. Also,
if we tracked the activities kids are involved in, I'd bet it's the same 20-30% doing afterschool ,clubs, and town activities-- targeted outreach is critical intervention.
Eric J
6:49 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I think it is a great Idea to form a coalition, We should also form a neiborhood watch group as well. Together I think we could make a differance. Thumbs up for this one.
Tom
11:04 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I think that a Boys & Girls club would be an asset to the middle school & above aged kids in town. Once they hit sixth grade, it is like they are on their own. Most parents work and there are very few after school activites for middle school and above, so the kids are left to fend for themselves. No where to go and nothing to do is a recipe for disaster. If they had a club that they could hang out at until their parents get out of work, then at least it would take some of them off of the streets. Problem is that it will take time, effort and fund raising to open a Boys & Girls club.
Also, a scared straight program wouldn't hurt.
Christine
9:47 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Great idea Tom.. You in for the fundraising :)
And you're absolutely correct about the middle school--there are several issues there in terms of it being developmentally appropriate-the after school programs are already moot for those of us who work and cant drive to pick them up at 2:30. Doing away with the late bus was a mistake IMHO-- the kids can't stay after for academic help either-- we are missing great opportunities by dismissing middle schoolers at 1:30 in the afternoon--and I can prove their idle time is bad for kids with the comments and pics I see on Facebook ....unsupervised teens= access+opportunity=trouble