Rep. Lineham Discusses Substance Abuse Prevention Program

From the Connecticut General Assembly: State Rep. Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire, Southington, Wallingford) announced that the Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Action Council (CNVRAC) will begin providing a substance abuse prevention and education program to teachers and administrators at Dodd Middle School and Cheshire High School. The first training took place Tuesday morning.

CNVRAC will train school staff using the Adolescent Substance Abuse Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment (A-SBIRT) program. The program trains staff to recognize signs of substance abuse in students and intervene appropriately.

Rep. Linehan coordinated the training after hearing about the 25-year-old man from Cheshire who died of an opioid overdose in a bathroom in Hartford, and is working to bring the program to Southington and Wallingford schools.

"After the news broke, a former teacher of the young man commented that he wished there was something he could have done, and I realized we need to respond to this tragic loss by taking action. Teachers build strong relationships with our kids, and we want them to feel confident in their ability to respond if a student comes to them with a substance abuse issue," Rep. Linehan said. "This training provides teachers and administrators the tools to respond to what is unfortunately a growing problem."

"The Naugatuck Regional Action Council was amazing in putting this together, and they are providing this important resource to our schools at virtually no cost to the Town of Cheshire," Rep. Linehan continued.

CNVRAC is one of 13 Connecticut regional action councils established by the legislature to implement a strategic plan to develop and coordinate substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion services in their respective regions.

In addition to providing the A-SBIRT program, CNRVAC services and activities have included Mental Health First Aid training, promotion of Narcan training and a medication drop box, problem gambling awareness training, and a forum series on opioid abuse.

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