Town Hall Meeting to address problem of underage drinking

A $500 Federal grant has been awarded to the Wahkiakum Community Network to Reduce Underage Drinking to assist with the group’s effort in hosting a Town Hall Meeting on March 25.

The grant was awarded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Underage drinking continues to be a leading public health problem in the United States. Alcohol use threatens the safe and healthy development of more young people than any other substance—even more than tobacco and illicit drugs. On an average day in 2006, 7,970 teens drank alcohol for the first time, a much higher number than begin smoking or trying illicit drugs. Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age. As part of a national effort to help communities in their efforts to stop underage drinking, a series of Town Hall Meetings will take place across America during the week of March 31–April 4. This nationwide effort will support efforts to meet goals from The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking and is supported by the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD).

Wahkiakum Community Network Director Lia Sealund stated that “Our Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meeting is a part of a national effort to increase understanding and awareness of underage drinking and its consequences, and to encourage individuals, families, and communities to address the problem”

“The Town Hall Meeting will provide our community with the opportunity to come together to learn more about the new research on underage drinking and its impact on both individuals and the community, and to discuss how our community can implement the recommendations. These Town Hall Meetings are designed to empower the community as well as generate interest from the media” said Sealund.

Wahkiakum’s Town Hall Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on March 25 at the J.A. Wendt Elementary School multi-purpose room. All members of the community are encouraged to attend the Town Hall Meeting. Those interested in assisting with or participating in the Town Hall Meeting should contact Lia Sealund at 360-795-8040.